the waiting is the hardest part...

I have heard it said that patience is a virtue... I have also heard it said that if you pray for patience that God will put you in situations that force you to be patient. Now, I don't know if either of those things is actually true because neither of those statements is in the Bible, but I'll tell you one thing: waiting sucks... especially if you are waiting on news... Even as I type this I am sitting in a waiting room to hear how the surgery of a loved one has gone, and while I am not anticipating any negative news still the waiting is the hardest part...

Looking to Scripture for comfort, one of the most intriguing things I find is the description of God in the Old Testament. Check out how God names Himself when He speaks to Moses

5 Then the LORD came down in the cloud and stood there with him and proclaimed his name, the LORD. 6 And he passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, "The LORD, the LORD, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, 7 maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin. Exodus 34:5-7a

This happens right after Moses goes back up to get the second copy of the 10 commandments, after the Israelites have built the golden calf, and Moses destroys the first copy. It's really poignant to me that even though the Israelites have shown themselves to be utter failures and totally disobedient, and even when Moses loses his patience, God is right there to demonstrate His.

Right now, I need that kind of God to be the Lord in my life and be patient for me, when I can't be.