Psalm 13

After I got pregnant the first time, my husband bought a T-shirt that epitomizes the kind of father he hoped to be (and that I can report he is—most of the time). On the background of this shirt is the same bit of dialogue repeated over and over:

“Are we there yet? . . . No.”
“Are we there yet? . . . No.”
“Are we there yet? . . . No.”
“Are we there yet? . . . No.”
“Are we there yet? . . . No.”
“Are we there yet? . . . No.”

Emblazoned over this background, in a fiery orange, is the title: One Patient Dad. Did you read today’s psalm carefully? Are you surprised that it reminded me of this T-shirt? Look at the opening verses again:

How long, Lord? Will you forget me forever?
How long will you hide your face from me?
How long must I wrestle with my thoughts and day after day have sorrow in my heart?
How long will my enemy triumph over me? (vs 1-2)

I have had these very thoughts so many times, and I’m sure you have, too. Now you know why I read this and laughed, realizing how we are just a bunch of three-year-olds in God’s backseat, wondering how long it will be before we “get there.”

For a child riding in a car, even relatively short distances can seem like forever. There are familiar stretches of road I travel now as an adult that, as a child, used to seem so long. But I don’t even think about it now, because I know exactly where I’m going and when I’m going to get there.

I have to remember that this is precisely what it’s like for God—He knows exactly where we’re going and when we’re going to get there. And I’m like the child in the backseat, trying to peer out the window, not quite able to see, not quite able to make sense out of the blur of passing trees and scenery.

Children do much better on long car trips when they have something to occupy their time. Getting engrossed in a book, a game, a movie, or a nap tends to take the mind off the constant are we there yet? And I think it’s the same way for us who wait here on Earth. God doesn’t want us to focus so much on there that we miss out on here. He has things for us to do and enjoy today, in this moment! And if all we ever do is think about the destination, there might be a lot of living and loving that we miss out on.

God is in the driver’s seat. He knows exactly where we’re going and when we’re going to get there. And He wants us to relax and enjoy the journey with Him. At the same time, you can be assured that He is one patient Dad. He’ll never snap at us for asking Are we there yet? How much longer?