As I write this posting, several images are flashing across the screen of my mind.  I see her sitting on our deck in the early morning, coffee and a piece of toast on the table, her Bible in hand.  This is her quiet time.  She doesn't always see me, but I see her and know this is in part, her source of strength for the day.

I see her holding our grandson, comforting him.  I have seen this movie before as I watched her comfort and nurture and care for our children as they were growing up.  Though they are no longer 'kids', I often see her offering words of encouragement or support to them; you never stop being a mom. There is a tenderness about her, she has the heart of a loving mother and grandmother.

I see her in the kitchen, preparing homemade soup.  It's not about meal preparation, it's about lovingly caring for me.  I see the same kindness as she gets into the driver's seat to 'accompany me' on an appointment.  We both know this is her way of communicating, 'you're not driving'.  No words are spoken but I know this is non-negotiable and so I tell myself, 'just get in on the passenger's side and enjoy the drive'.

It was 44 years ago this month that one of our youth group leaders literally put her hand in mine when we were roller skating, bringing us together.  Three years later, we joined hands again as we shared our wedding vows. To have walked hand in hand with her for these past 40+ years as my wife is one of the greatest blessings in my life. Words cannot express all that Janice means to me, her commitment to me, her loyalty, her faithfulness, her sense of understanding me, knowing me and loving me.  She has stood beside me through all the ups and downs of our journey.  She has been a constant source of encouragement, strength and joy.  I thank God for her.

In 1985, Janice made what I think was one of the most difficult choices in her life.  She literally uprooted herself from family and friends and our home in Chatham.  We moved to Toronto, so that I could finish Bible College and pursue God's calling in my life, in our lives.  Every weekday morning, she got up early and headed for downtown Toronto and at night took the subway and bus home.  She did that for 3 1/2 years without ever complaining so that I could put all my efforts into my studies and work in the local church.  I remember the time she worked all day and sewed at night, making knitting bags for her co-workers, so we would have some extra money around Christmas.

One of the proudest days of my life was my graduation from Central Baptist Bible College, because it meant so much to Janice.  I can honestly say it meant more to her than it did to me.  In part, because she may have been saying to herself, 'maybe now he'll get a job!'  She sacrificed and shared in my joy in a way I will never forget.  Friends, she made a similar sacrifice 16 years ago when we followed God's leading to come to the Valley.  Her selfless and sacrificial love is the mark of a godly woman.  Her name means 'gracious' and truly she is a lady of grace and beauty.

I had not been married to Janice very long when I realized the she is a gift from God.  Just to walk with her, to have her beside me, to love her, and to look at that smile that sent me head over heals in love as a 19 year-old kid is a one of God's greatest gifts to me.  I love the life we have built together.  She is a testimony to God's wisdom when He said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.” (Genesis 2:18)  She is my helper and friend, a godly wife, mother, grandmother and friend.  She is a gift to me, and to the church, for she is the ideal pastor's wife.  She serves alongside me with a quiet and gentle spirit, with love and compassion.  Her love and kindness has allowed me to do all that God has called me to do, and her strength and joy has made up the difference in a home that sometimes feels the effects of being in ministry.

Her journey has not always been easy.  She has endured hardships, challenges, suffering and loss.  The last three years have been particularly wearing on her; when your family hurts, you share their pain. Yet in quiet trust and confident faith she reflects the sustaining grace of her Lord.

As we walk into this week, as I face a second surgery in 4 months and weeks of recovery to follow, I don't think I could do this without Janice by my side.  I am grateful for your support and understanding, for your thoughts and prayers but would ask you to please continue to be a source of blessing and encouragement to Janice and join me in giving thanks to God for her.

Far too often of late, I have found myself in, what is appropriately called a 'waiting room'.  As I sat in one such area recently, I was instructed to take a number and wait.  As I sat there, I noticed a group of people in line at a registration desk with a sign that read, 'wait behind this line until you are called'.  After waiting for a few minutes, I was redirected to another area where I was told to have a seat, a technician will be with you shortly--translation, 'wait'. I waited patiently, but I must confess, I don't like to wait.  I don't like to wait in line, I don't like to be put on hold on the phone and I don't like to wait behind an accelerator-challenged driver!  

This was not an anxious kind of waiting, but as I write these words my mind takes me back to times when waiting caused a measure of angst, feelings of uneasiness and deep concern.  I remember sitting in the waiting room at Sick Children's Hospital in Toronto as our son, Scott was having lung surgery.  The procedure took much longer than anticipated.  After more than 3 hours Janice and I were the only ones left in the room, even the volunteer at the desk had gone home.  That was a much more stressful time of waiting.

We experienced a night-long period of waiting when Scott was admitted to hospital during the early days of Covid; a night I feared for his life.  I will never forget the night Andrea gave birth to Noah and Luke; they were so small, so fragile.  We quietly wondered if they would survive those first few hours.  Sometimes waiting is accompanied by moments of great fear and uncertainty.

Lewis Smedes writes, Waiting is our destiny as creatures who cannot bring about by themselves what they hope for. We wait in darkness for a flame we cannot light; we wait in fear for a happy ending we cannot write. We wait for a not yet that feels like a not ever. Waiting is the hardest part of hope.  But interestingly, over and over again, the Bible exhorts us to wait.

Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him. (Psalm 37:7)

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

I will wait for the Lord...I will put my trust in him. (Isaiah 8:17)

The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him; it is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord. (Lamentations 3:25-26)

On the ark, Noah waited for the flood waters to recede.  Abraham and Sarah waited for the birth of their son, for 24 years they waited for the son of promise.  For 400 years God’s people waited in bondage in Egypt.  They waited 70 years in exile.  God had promised a Messiah, but at the end of the Old Testament God’s people are still waiting.  They waited another 400 years, while God seemed to be silent. 

Jesus came and lived among us, taught with authority and worked miracles.  His followers waited for Him to restore the Kingdom; to overthrow an oppressive Roman government.  But He was crucified, and still God’s people lived in poverty and oppression.  After the resurrection, before ascending to the Father, His followers want to know, Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?  (Acts 1:6)  
 
Do you remember Jesus’ response?  Do not leave Jerusalem but…wait (Acts 1:4).  All through the pages of the Bible we are told to wait.  In the final words of Revelation (22:20), Jesus says I am coming soon.   Soon, but not yet, and so we wait.
 
Waiting gives us time to think and reflect, and as I thought about my experiences, there are some things I have learned in ‘the waiting room’. While we wait, God is at work. Therefore, I must wait patiently, in humility and trust, because waiting ultimately gives way to hope.

What God does while we wait, building in us perseverance and character and hope, is just as important, perhaps more important than what it is for which we are waiting.  Waiting is a confident, expectant but sometimes painful clinging to God.  It is a day-by-day decision to say, ‘God, I trust you, no matter what’.  I must trust that God has good reasons for saying ‘wait’; that God knows what He is doing. I must trust His wisdom and His timing. Even though it’s hard, even though I may be afraid, even though I may not understand, I will trust His heart, for He is faithful and good.  

He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.  (Isaiah 40:29)

When I am weary, beat up, worn out, when I’m tired, lonely or afraid, it is not the time to give up, bail out or turn away from my God.  It’s the very time I need to run to Him, for He is our refuge and strength (Psalm 46:1).  Isaiah says, Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. (Isaiah 40:30-31)  Waiting gives way to hope.  When we wait faithfully, with eager anticipation, when we wait with patient trust and humility, we discover He is faithful; God sees and God cares! And that is enough; that’s enough for me!

There are some tremendous benefits from being in God’s waiting room.  When it seems like everything is falling apart and our strength is gone, that’s when we discover our God is mighty and strong.  He holds us tightly until the storm is past, until our hope is renewed.

Those who wait on the Lord Shall renew their strength (Isaiah 40:31 - NKJV).

 Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 
For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; 
and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.  (Matthew 7:7-8)

If you could ask for one miracle in your life, and you knew for certain God would grant your request, ​what would your request be?  

Without hesitation, some you would immediately respond, I would ask God to save my spouse, my son or daughter or someone you love who has yet to surrender their life to Christ.  Others would pray for healing.  Some would pray for rest, to be free from anxious thoughts or a troubled spirit.  Or you might pray for a measure of financial stability, for God to provide for a need that is yet unmet.

There is a part of us that believes prayer really does change what is possible, that prayer is the pathway to God's  power, that there is an absolutely, undeniable, unmistakable relationship between prayer and the release of God's power in our lives.  But, we also recognize how easily we can become distracted, weary and discouraged when our prayers seem to go unanswered.  Why do we find it difficult to pray and keep on praying about the urgent matters in our lives?

In part, the answer lies in an understanding of the prerequisites of prayer.  In order for us to persevere in prayer there are certain prerequisite understandings and convictions that we must not only believe in our minds, we have to own them in our hearts.  We must be convinced of God's identity, God's inclination and God's invitation.

The effectiveness of our prayers is rooted in the character of the One to whom we pray.  The Bible affirms our God is faithful and good, loving and kind.  The psalmist reminds us, The Lord is good to all; he has compassion on all he has made (Psalm 145:9).  You, Lord, are mighty, and your faithfulness surrounds you. (Psalm 89:8)   David write, He is my loving God and my fortress, my stronghold and my deliverer, my shield, in whom I take refuge (Psalm 144:2).  Through the prophet Jeremiah, God declares,  I am the Lord, who exercises kindness, justice and righteousness on earth (Jeremiah 9:24).   Seeing God for who He is, as He has revealed Himself to us in His Word, is an absolutely essential prerequisite of prayer.

Secondly, we must understand God's inclination toward us, that His desire is to pour out His favor and blessing into our lives.  The psalmist writes, Surely, Lord, you bless the righteous; you surround them with your favor as with a shield. (Psalm 5:12)  The Lord gives strength to his people; the Lord blesses his people with peace. (Psalm 29:11)  Paul expresses praise to God, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ (Ephesians 1:3).   Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him. (Psalm 34:8)  That God is favorably inclined toward His people is a foundational truth as we approach Him in prayer.

Thirdly, we need to respond to His invitation to us.  Trust in him at all times, you people; pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge. (Psalm 62:8)   David said, I call on you, my God, for you will answer me (Psalm 17:6).  Jesus extends this invitation to His followers, Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest  (Matthew 11:28).  Paul says to us, Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God (Philippians 4:6).  God's invitation is to come to Him prayer and He promises to hear and respond.

So my friends at Valley, just pray!