INTRODUCTION

Nobody likes sitting in a waiting room. The chairs are uncomfortable. The magazines are out-of-date. The coffee is stale. And with each passing minute, sitting there waiting for your name to be called, you get a disturbing sense that you've been forgotten. But is that really the case? In life's waiting room, have you been forgotten, or is all this waiting part of a larger plan?

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

1. What is your worst waiting room experience? Perhaps it was at the dentist's office, an emergency room, a car repair shop, or some other waiting room environment. What made it so bad?
   
   
2. In what area of life do you currently find yourself in a waiting room? What emotions are you experiencing as you wait?
   
   
3. In Genesis 15:1-4, God promised Abram that he would have a son. How do you think Abram felt immediately after this promise was made? How did those initial feelings most likely change as time passed and the promise remained unfulfilled? Do you have a similar story in your life? Explain.
   
   
4. Jeff indicated that the most dangerous part is not the actual waiting, but when we begin to assume that God has forgotten us and we decide to take matters into our own hands. Share about a time when you have done that. What were some of the consequences?
   
   
5. Read Ephesians 2:10. Do you believe Jeff's assertion that rather than forgetting about us, God is actually preparing us while we are in "the waiting room"? Explain.
   

MOVING FORWARD

According to history, God always does what he promises. He has never forgotten his people and he will not start with you. With this in mind, will you commit to consistent prayer, asking God to encourage you as he prepares you to best glorify him? As you draw near to God, he will draw near to you.

CHANGING YOUR MIND

For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
Ephesians 2:10