Friend On Hold

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

Psalm 5:3 – In the morning, O Lord, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait in expectation. (NIV)

"Please hold a moment. I have another call coming in," Carol said.

I sat holding the phone to my ear, thinking how eager I had been to talk to Carol. We had been best friends since kindergarten, and our friendship had lasted a lifetime. Sometimes Carol and I could go our separate ways for months, then the need to talk would surface, and our friendship would bloom again instantly. Yesterday, I'd seen an old friend from high school days, and I couldn't wait to share the experience with Carol. Someone to share memories with was rare in my life now.

"I'm back," Carol said. "What are you up to today?"

I started telling her whom I'd seen yesterday, and soon we were back in memory land.

"Excuse me," she said, "I have another call coming in."

I felt a tinge of annoyance as she placed me on hold again. I had the feeling my call was not as important to her as it was to me.

Are our prayers like this sometimes? Do we put God "on hold" while we do something else? Do we become so distracted that we forget what we were talking to God about?

God never puts us on hold. We are the ones who allow the distractions. We are the ones who do not take time to listen to see if God has something to say. "Be still," He says, "and know that I am God." (Psalm 46:10)

Prayer: Precious Lord, forgive us if we put you "on hold", and fail to listen to what you have to say to us. Amen.