Waiting at the Light

Sometimes we are full of faith and confidence, but other times we are puzzled and frustrated. We want to know God's plan, and we really really want to know God's timing. Except-- that knowledge is not normally offered to us. We don't get to know the timing, because if we knew, then perhaps we wouldn't trust God so much?

In my own life, I am on the threshold of change. For the last two years, God has been talking to me about new doorways, new pathways, and new directions. My involvement in the business I have owned for 20 years and co-founded is unexpectedly coming to an end. As I was considering this unwelcome change, the word "Freedom" came to mind. "But God, what does that mean, exactly?"

Earlier this week, God showed me a door. The door was hung so that it opened away from me and was almost completely closed. But as I watched, the door closed the rest of the way and I heard the click of the lock as it set. There was no doorknob, so it could only be opened from the other side. I did notice something peculiar-- it has a little tan rectangular box on it, about one inch wide and 4 inches long. The box was secured to the door, and was oriented vertically, close to the edge. It appeared to be a door chime. Curious!

The scene then changed, and I was in my car, coming up to a stoplight at a huge intersection, much like the intersection of Abercorn and White Bluff roads in Savannah, Georgia. I knew immediately that I had to stop at this light and wait because I couldn't see the traffic on the other road. In this particular real-life intersection, White Bluff runs North to South, and Abercorn comes in at a Northeast to Southwest diagonal, crossing at a 45 degree angle. If you are driving on White Bluff in either direction, half the cars on Abercorn are approaching you from your eight o'clock position-- directly in your blind spot. If you run this red light and try to cross this intersection against the light, you have an excellent chance of being hit from behind by a car you never saw coming. This light isn't just to ensure the orderly flow of traffic. It is also for your protection! I had the impression that I would eventually be turning right (New Direction!) but the important part was that I had to stop and wait until the light changed.

Put together, I think God is telling me to wait-- to not go through the intersection until I have a green light. How long will it take the traffic light to change? I have no idea, but 10 weeks ago, God told me "Camp here a while longer," and then brought to mind Numbers 9:15-23. In this passage, the Bible describes how God used a pillar of cloud (daylight hours) and a pillar of fire after dark to guide the Israelites in the wilderness of Sinai. When God wanted them to stay in one place, the cloud would hover over the Tent of Meeting. This may last a single night, a month, or even a year. As long as the cloud stayed there, the people camped. But when it moved, they had to depart immediately. They were not permitted to move until the cloud changed, just like the car driver cannot safely proceed across the intersection until the light changes.

I believe the door chime represents God's gentle affirmation that I am not going to miss Him in this. I don't need to focus on the door, anxiously watching for it to open. That's what the chime was for! God was saying that when the door is opened from the other side (remember, it opens outward and I don't have a doorknob) the chime will sound and I will know to proceed. Meanwhile, I am to wait patiently at the light.

Maybe God has you waiting at the light too! Put some worship music on and say a prayer. It might be a long light, but that's okay. The light WILL change in the programed sequence.

"... This vision message is a witness pointing to what's coming. It aches for the coming-- it can hardly wait! And it doesn't lie. If it seems slow in coming, wait. It's on its way. It will come right on time."

Habakkuk 2:3, The Message

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