Craig Clouston

Wait Right Here

But they that wait upon the Lord …
Isaiah 40:31 (kjv)

Slipping off his shoes, Joel reflected on the day’s events, one delay after another. But what an awesome conclusion!
He’d taken the morning off for a dental appointment. The appointment had run an hour late. Leaving the dentist, he’d climbed into his car to discover a dead battery, costing him an additional hour waiting for AAA.
Needing to eat, Joel went to a local restaurant. After eating a soft, dentist-approved lunch, he’d walked out of the restaurant to find his right front tire flat! Fighting the urge to scream, Joel prayed instead. “Lord, I can’t take anymore of this. I’m all out of patience.” In his spirit, he heard God say, “Wait right here.”
As he was sorting out God’s nudge, a young man came walking up. He glanced at the tire, looked at Joel, and offered, “I’ll change that tire if you buy me lunch.”
God said, “This is what you’ve been waiting for. Take the deal.”
With the flat changed, Joel sat and watched while Brice ravenously devoured his lunch. As they talked, Brice’s story emerged. He’d been trying to get home from college to see his ailing father. With no money, he’d had to hitchhike. It had been two days thus far with two hundred miles to go.
Nudged once again, Joel took the young man to the bus station, bought him a ticket home, and saw him off.
Just ten minutes ago he’d received a call from Brice’s mother, thanking him through tears of gratitude for his compassion and generosity.

†

In this fast-paced world, most delays feel like obstacles to be vaulted over on our way to our next engagement. But what if it actually is God asking permission to meddle in our lives? And what if we’re moving too fast to listen and we miss His call? It’s hard to hear at ninety miles per hour.
It may not be a life-changing moment like Joel’s. It may just be God’s attempt to slow us down a bit. But wouldn’t it be great to know? Wait right here and listen.

Prayer

“Lord, I give You permission to slow me down when I refuse to do it on my own. Help me listen closely so I don’t miss my purpose for each day. Amen.”