“Are we there yet?”
If your kids have ever muttered these words, you know from personal experience that they’re sure to say them again and again until you reach your destination. They might ask this question out of boredom, excitement, or annoyance with the journey. At any rate, you know that your final destination is in sight. You know that it will just be a matter of time before you get there. And you also know that no matter how hungry, tired, bored, annoyed, or exhausted your kids are, they’ll pull through and make it until then. But they can’t always see it. They live in the moment, and in that moment they want to be out of the car, away from their obnoxious brother or sister, and enjoying life again.
Sometimes I wonder if that’s how God sees things at times. We go through struggles and trials that are real—very real—to us. And we ask God over and over to “fix” it. Sometimes, God answers our prayers quickly and we rejoice! But sometimes, it takes time. The journey is longer than we expected and the road to our destination is bumpier than we hoped. And we find ourselves praying the same prayer over and over and over again—“Are we there yet, God?” You might even find your faith faltering in the uncertainty of whether or not you will ever come to the end of your trial. But in the driver’s seat is God—and He had every moment of your life planned before you were even born. He knows your journey and your destination, and if you can learn to trust Him, He’ll guide you through the difficult times, hold onto you as you mourn, encourage you when you’re challenged, and rejoice when you celebrate. The key word, though, is trust.
Through one of the most trying times in my life (that seemed to linger on and on), I would hit low points and open up my Bible to the same chapter—Psalms 139. I remember soaking that page in tears and just asking God if he understood how much my heart hurt. But every time I would read that chapter, an overwhelming peace would come over me and I would feel, once again, that despite my struggle, He was with me. And no matter how hard things got, I couldn’t escape Him. Note: the Bible doesn’t say that if you want God there, He’ll be there. It says you literally cannot escape Him—no matter how hard you might try. I remember finding such comfort in that because there were times I would put on a happy face for everyone else and try to stay strong. I didn’t want to be a “burden” of sadness to the people around me. But as I read the words of the Psalmist that said, “I could ask the darkness to hide me and the light around me to become night—but even in darkness I cannot hide from you. To you the night shines as bright as day. Darkness and light are the same to you.” (Psalm 139: 11-12), I found comfort. I felt like even during those days that I wanted to sit in a pit and cry in the dark, God said He’d sit in that pit with me.
How long until you reach the end of your trial? And (the harder question)—is there even an end in sight? I honestly don’t have the answer. I know that’s hard to hear when you’re struggling. You want to get through it—yesterday! But we still live in an imperfect world with stuff that happens. But there’s one thing I do know—God controls it all. He’s the maker of the heavens and the earth. He created the land, sea, air, animals, plants, and minerals to work together in amazing harmony. And the creator of everything that is and was cares about you. He cares that you’re hurting. He hates that you’re in pain. But He also knows the end of the story. Your broken pieces will be placed together to create a beautiful mosaic, and every struggle is another testament to the goodness of a peace-giving Father. Christians aren’t exempt from problems—but we’re given peace to face them. So the next time you find yourself asking God “Are we there yet?” find comfort in the fact that He knows where you’re headed in this journey we call life—and He’s sitting right there with you, even in the darkness.
Conversation Starter
What is your worst waiting room experience? Maybe it was at the dentist’s office, an emergency room, a car repair shop, or some other waiting room environment. What made it so bad?
Question 1:
In what area of life do you currently find yourself in a waiting room? What emotions are you experiencing as you wait?
Question 2: Read Psalm 13:1–6
Does David’s degree of honesty in this passage make you uncomfortable? How might your relationship with God be different if you were that honest with him about your struggles or doubts while you’re waiting on him to answer your prayer?
Question 3:
Describe a time when God said “no” to your prayers. Did it cause you to question his existence? Why or why not?
Question 4:
When God said “no” to you, did you submit to his will or struggle to deal with the situation in your own strength? What was the result of your choice?
Question 5:
What do you think it looks like to “wait well”? Has there been a time in your life when God used the waiting to do some redirecting? What happened?
Question 6: Read 2 Corinthians 12:6-9
What does the fact that God didn’t remove Paul’s “thorn,” but chose to use Paul’s weakness to demonstrate his own power tell you about God’s priorities?
Prayer Focus:
Ask God to help you trust and obey him during times of waiting. Ask him to help you trust that while you are waiting, he is working, and ask him to show you what areas of your life you need to submit to him and his will instead of your own and be able to wait well.