I waited patiently for the Lord; he turned to me and heard my cry. (Ps. 40:1)

No trip to the doctor’s OFFICE is complete without a few minutes (or an hour!) in the waiting room. You quickly turn your attention to the magazines scattered around the room. Are any of them less than a year old? You page through a home and garden magazine to find the delicious recipes promised on the cover—only to discover they’ve been torn out by someone before you. Next you pick a magazine featuring the “Best New Cars of the Year”—new three years ago, that is. Finally, you reach for a magazine dedicated to a sport you’re not at all interested in. “At least I’m killing time,” you think to yourself.

Hopefully you occupy yourself in a more positive way as you wait for God to move in your life. Instead of trying to merely kill time, you can invest it in things that will draw you closer to Him. What can you do in God’s “waiting room”? Here are some suggestions.

1. Remind yourself of His many promises and of the many times He has fulfilled them in your life.

2. Continue to pray for God to move on your behalf and to draw the attention of others to His grace and goodness in the process.

3. Open yourself to whatever God is doing in your heart at this time. Make the wait count.

Don’t just sit there; serve God while you wait.

Paul Zinter has served as a pastor and editor. He enjoys writing, bread making, and teaching at his local church.