That Which Is Always Worth the Wait, November 15
Inside the Cancer Journey: Daily Reflections for Those Coping with Cancer
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By Dan Held
I wait for the Lord, my whole being waits, and in his word I put my hope. I wait for the Lord more than watchmen wait for the morning (Psalm 130:5-6a NIV).
What are you waiting for today? Will it be worth the wait?
As a young college student back in the 1960’s, I once caught a ride home to Colorado with two other guys going that way in their pickup truck. They got a late start and decided to pull over for the night in a Kansas rest area (back when overnight parking was permissible). They had three sleeping bags in the back, so we did open air camping on the grass looking up at the stars—no tent to obstruct our view. We also had no mosquito repellent to fight off what turned out to be a swarm of biting insects from the nearby pond. The stars were great in number, as were the mosquitos that night. I thought the dawn would never break. But, despite all my bites, it was worth it just to see my loving family again.
Perhaps this was good preparation for my wife’s cancer journey later in life. Once more I felt as if I was along for the ride. I was in no position to either drive or make demands. We would be camping without a tent, as it were, and at the mercy of things from which we had no protection. Instead of lying in an interstate rest area under the stars, we were sitting in waiting rooms under less-than-dazzling TV screens. And, yes, there were nearly sleepless nights when we were never so glad to see the dawn. Days when we could finally see the surgeon. Finally get the phone call. Waiting, we discovered, was one of the hardest parts of our cancer journey.
The Israelites, on their pilgrimage journeys mostly by foot to the festive mountain city of Zion (Jerusalem), knew what it was like to wait. Their traveling party required men who took turns serving as night watchmen for their caravan of pilgrims. Yet even more than the watchmen in today’s verse waiting for the morning that they thought would never arrive, the people traveling together waited days on end for their arrival in Jerusalem. Why? Look at today’s verse again. The waiting for the Israelites would be worthwhile just knowing that they put their hope in God’s Word, followed His path, and would finally arrive. God’s loving promises would be fulfilled upon their arrival.
Not all things in life are worth the wait. But waiting for the Lord and the fulfillment of His Word is always worth the journey. Even if we suffer a sleepless night waiting for His new dawning to finally arrive, God’s promises are always worth the wait. Let us, like the Israelites of old, place our hope in the Lord with our whole being.
Pray: Loving God, in whose word we do place our hope, grant us patience in waiting and strength for this day’s journey. Remind us that Your promises are always worth the wait! Through Christ our Lord we pray. Amen.
Your Turn: How are you at waiting? What are you waiting for now? Place today’s verse someplace where you can see it while you wait. Whatever you are now waiting for, be like the watchmen rejoicing in the light of God’s love that quenches the world’s darkness day by day.
Dan Held, Cancer Caregiver
Dan is a cancer caregiver who lives with his wife (Sue) of 55 years in Dayton, Ohio, where Sue has been free from breast cancer and colon cancer for two years! Dan is an ordained pastor and a licensed therapist with a heart for families touched by cancer at any stage. He is dedicated to promoting the message of more love and less fear in all aspects of his ministry and life. Check out his blog at www.danielkheld.com.
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