Waiting...

I was headed to the Post Office when I noticed a thin man standing on the corner of the intersection. He was waiting for the traffic to stop while he walked across the street. He looked dirty and unkept with his clothes tattered. It was warming up outside and his face was showing it. While I sat at the traffic light, I watched him spot a coin on the asphalt and pick it up. He crossed from one street to the next and made his way around. I don't know if he was homeless, but he appeared to be. I wondered to myself, 'What decisions did he make in his life that brought him to this point? Does he have any family? Is this what he wanted his life to be like? Where was he going?' As I drove away, I said a prayer of thanks that I was not in the same position he was in. Then, I prayed for him.

I couldn't get that man out of my mind. I realized how easily I could be homeless, roaming the streets looking for coins on the hot pavement to pick up. My family isn't perfect but at least I had a family to go home to.

Isaiah 30: 18 says "Yet the Lord longs to be gracious to you; he rises to show you compassion. For the Lord is a God of justice. Blessed are all who wait for him!" What does it mean to wait for the Lord? It means to trust him when a situation looks hopeless, even when it seems he is gone.

Ever felt like that man, wondering around from place to place trying to figure out what God wants you to do about a situation? I know I have. Waiting isn't easy, but if the Bible says I will be blessed for waiting, I'm willing to cool my heels and be still.