Delayed

I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life. And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us. And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him. (1 John 5:13-15 ESV).

I love an adventure as much as anyone; however, getting home from D.C. was not an adventure I wanted, nor enjoyed. We had an absolutely marvelous time visiting with our youngest son, Aaron, for a few days. It was relaxing and enjoyable. We saw and did some things we had never had the opportunity to do before. It was great! The travel home was not so great. We arrived at the airport much earlier than necessary since he had to catch a plane that day to a speaking engagement in Baton Rouge at LSU. We checked in and made our way to the gate to wait for our plane. At mid afternoon the weather began to roll in. They were expecting thunderstorms later that evening. We noticed more activity from other passengers on other flights as one flight after another began to be delayed or cancelled. “Surely not us” was our thought. Well, so that the story doesn’t go on as long as the experience let me just say that our flight was delayed numerous times over the next few hours until it was canceled altogether at midnight. We waited in line to see the agents who were overwhelmed with all the cancellations throughout the airport and were rescheduled for a flight the next morning by way of Pittsburgh, PA. By that time there were no hotel rooms within 20 miles of the airport (except one for $399.00 per night). Since there was merely four hours left of the “night” we opted to spend the night in the airport. I’m too old for that anymore. The next day did come and we experienced four more delays, but no cancellations and arrived home 28 hours after we started the three hour trip! No one likes to wait. Perhaps it’s because delays show us that we are not in control. Although we may be able to identify the immediate cause, ultimately the Lord controls our schedule. This means that in every delay, we are actually waiting for God in one way or another. You might have thought that the expression “waiting upon the Lord” applies only to seeking guidance from Him or an answer to prayer. But it can mean so much more when you remember that He controls all your day-to-day inconveniences and frustrations. The great thing is that it will all ultimately “work for our good” (cf. Romans 8:28). It has for me for over fifty years. Though I often don’t enjoy the inconvenience of the delays, I always am blessed by them in some way. Just meeting some of the other fellow delayed travelers was a wonderful experience. Next time you are delayed, remember God has purpose in all the things that affect us. Trust Him.