In Part 1 we saw what the waiting room actually looks like, as revealed in Scripture. Now we will explore how to cope with the waiting room syndrome.

So Why the Waiting Time – the Space Between?

 Waiting is a period that distinctly separates the old from the new. A bridge between what God is about to reveal and what is finished.

God is not merely preparing something for you.

He is preparing You for something.

The Destination

God prepares the destination before He prepares the person who will occupy it.

Abraham received the covenant of promise long before he was capable of carrying the weight of that promise.

Joseph was given the vision of what he would become, but it would be many years and fiery trials before that became a reality.

Israel was delivered from Egypt before they understood what it meant to be God’s treasured possession.

The disciples had to experience resurrection before they could begin to comprehend what now resurrection actually meant.  For all followers of Christ are to live in resurrection life now, Colossians 3:3. 

The Purpose of the Waiting Room

A waiting room serves as a transitional space to:

• Organize arrivals
• Reduce anxiety and
• Prepare for the new.

These rooms are normally secure areas, of calm design, soothing colours and relatively quiet.

Spiritually, God’s waiting room has the same purpose, though often a place that tests our patience.

The space between is not about what God can do for you, but how deep is your relationship with Him and what He accomplishes during the wait. It’s about yielding to His will, not ours, Luke 22:42.

The Waiting Room Brings Alignment

To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven, Ecclesiastes 3:1.

God’s timing then is not accidental.

The waiting is designed to help bring us into alignment with His purposes.

A space that exposes where your confidence rests and tests your faith in God.

It should move us from ‘I believe because I can see’, to ‘I trust God because He has spoken’.

Faith does not require us to see the destination before we trust the One who is leading us there.

It’s about recognizing that God is in control even when we can’t see the outcome? It is learning to live in the present moment, Hebrews 11:1. Trusting God while the promise remains in the unknown future.

Three-Day Pattern

As discussed in Part 1, the waiting room is often a ‘three-day pattern’.

This should not necessarily be understood as three literal twenty-four-hour periods. For some people, the waiting may last days. For others, months or even years.

The process, however, can be recognized through the pattern of:

• A promise given
• Ending of the old
• Preparation for the new and
• Emergence.

Day One – the Ending

In day one, something is coming to an end. An old season closing.

What was familiar may no longer exist – becomes a faded memory.

This can create a feeling of loss, uncertainty or even failure, for the majority of us are uncomfortable with change. However, change must happen if we are to accept the new.

An ending of one thing is not the end – God is still at work.

He has a purpose that was formed in eternity.

Day Two – The Preparation

While God can be the God of the suddenly, for the most part he works in us progressively. Just as He progressively reveals Himself to us, as He did in the covenants.

The waiting is a place where God works for us and in us.

• Our faith is stretched
• Our motives examined
• Capacity is developed
• Spiritual muscle strengthened
• We learn to trust without seeing.

Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not see, Hebrews 11:1.

If we are wise, our dependence on God and our relationship with Him deepens.

Sometimes, as with Lazarus and ultimately with Christ, God waits until the situation appears completely impossible. His intervention then cannot be mistaken for human achievement.

Day Three – The Emergence

On day three, what God has been preparing begins to emerge.

What was hidden begins to be revealed.

The waiting room gives way to the new season, but had Jesus risen earlier they would have claimed that He had not really died.

The Sacred Space Between

The waiting room is uncomfortable because it is neither where we were, nor where we are going. It’s like walking in a fog. You can’t see anything clearly.

It is the space between.

Perhaps we need to look at this space differently.

• Waiting is not necessarily evidence that God has forgotten you
• Silence is not evidence that God is absent
• Delay is not necessarily denial.

Waiting may be the very place God is preparing you for what you have been praying for and what He has promised. Leading up to the ability to be able to carry the weight of His glory, 2 Corinthians 4:17.

The Reaction

What was Abraham thinking as he retraced their steps on the three-day trek home again, after the momentous substitution, Genesis 21:19?

Did the new generation of Israelites fully appreciate they were standing in the same place, with the same three-day preparation, that the old generation should have had, Joshua 1:11?

Did Jonah ever come to terms with the fact that he had been granted a three-day reprieve because of the mercy of God?

Consider Saul in his three-day wait in blinding darkness, Acts 9:9. From death-breathing intentions to a humbled follower, 2 Corinthians 12:7.

Did the disciples finally become aware of how gracious God was in giving them the dramatic example of the resurrection of Lazarus just a short time before the main event – the death and resurrection of Christ?

What does this teach us about the waiting room experience?

God’s Economy

In God’s economy, the waiting room is a sacred interval between the ending of one reality and the emergence of another.

Yet, all too often we become anxious about the time frame, regretful of the past and scared of the unknown future.

Yet, it is the place where now faith is tested and character formed:

• Capacity is developed
• Alignment takes place
• Dependence on God learnt
• Relationship with Him deepens.

The space between is the opportunity for us to be an overcomer.

God may be doing something you cannot yet see, but He is still at work in the space between.

Trust Him.

Wait for Him.

And learn to live faithfully in the present moment until the waiting room is over and enjoy what God has for you in all its fulness.

Photo Source

Dr. Wendy is a servant of the Lord. Her desire is to help believers grow in their understanding of Scripture and walk confidently with Christ in these end-time days.

If this article has encouraged you, explore more biblical insights and uplifting messages at Whispering Encouragement. We are here to inform, equip, and encourage believers to grow deeper in their faith.

Subscribe for free so you can stay up to date with the topics that matter most to you.

                         ** Helping believers discover the treasures hidden in God’s Word **

________________________Whispering Encouragement_______________________