"Wait for the Lord"

by Jerry Robinson

Have you ever tried to talk to a baby? Trying to communicate with a four-month old baby using the English language is an exercise in futility. The child simply has no earthly idea what you are saying. The baby may be able to sense your intentions, or your mood, but that is the extent of your attempts at two-way communication. However, children certainly have a way of communicating with adults. When they are happy, they coo and smile. When they are tired, they become cranky. And when they are upset, they scream.

I can still remember my initial attempts at communicating with my first daughter, Genesis, when she was just a few months old. One afternoon, she became upset and decided to let everyone know about it. It had been about three hours since she had last been bottle-fed, and she decided she wanted her bottle. And she wanted it NOW! As new parents, her mother and I still had to learn the need to always be prepared, the hard way. When the baby began to scream at the top of her lungs for her bottle we were still a few miles from our house. We immediately stopped what we were doing and made a mad dash back home. All the way home my wife and I tried to calm the poor child using our best 'baby-talk.' Needless to say, she was not impressed.

But in my attempts to calm her down, I got a sense of how God views His children in our times of crisis. My daughter had a legitimate need. She was hungry, but due to her inability to understand my intentions through my words she acted as if the world was going to end. Have you ever done that with God? Have you ever been in a real jam only to cry out to him with no immediate response?

So there I was, driving my car home as quickly as I could to solve the baby's problem. But her piercing cries were proof that she thought everyone was oblivious to her desperation. Of course, there was no way for me to communicate to her that we were heading straight home to fix her (and my) problem. In vain, I tried to explain to her that we were almost home and soon everything would be okay.

Today, you may have problems. You may even have some really big problems. But when you cry out to your heavenly Father, take heart in knowing that He hears you. If there seems to be a delay in His answer to your cries, have patience. Wait upon the Lord. As the psalmist says: "Be strong and let your heart take courage." Strive to listen closely to the voice of God. He is speaking directly to you. And you can tune into that voice if you will allow your faith to replace your fears. He knows what you need. He is not slack concerning His promises and is not oblivious to your hurts. Christ knows our pains and He is initmately aware of our sufferings. He loves you. And as you learn to wait upon the Lord, always remember that He will never forget you. You are his child.