"Worth Waiting For"

 

“Worth Waiting For”

 

In 1933 Roland Lindemann founded the Catskill Game Farm as the first privately owned zoo in the United States. It was located about 125 miles north of New York City in rural Greene County. At its peak it featured about 2000 animals and welcomed as many as 500,000 visitors a year. Unfortunately it was closed in 2006 due to decreasing attendance, rising costs and legal restrictions. The 1000 acre property has been redeveloped to include a B&B, RV resort, campground and most recently an Inn from the remodeled giraffe house. The Farm is one of the many pieces of Americana which failed to survive cultural and economic changes.

I remember nothing about my only visit to this family-oriented attraction 70+ years ago but oddly enough I recall something about how we got there. My dad knew we had to turn west off Route 9W and saw an advertisement for the Farm which said, “Turn here then turn left at the traffic light.” He drove several miles then came to a billboard proclaiming, “Turn left at the light ten miles ahead.” Had the first sign said the destination was some twenty miles over winding back roads many would have given up and not enjoyed what the Park had to offer. But it was worth the trip and waiting to get there.

Sometimes our God-directed journey takes longer than we expect and the temptation is to give up before we arrive at His place of blessings for us. It’s uncertain when David wrote Psalm 27—I believe it was near the end of his life and he’s sharing some lessons he’d learned—but he concludes his song in this way: “Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.” (Verse 14, emphasis added). The highlighted phrase (or a similar one) occurs over twenty times in the Scriptures. It comes from a Hebrew word meaning “expectation” and carries with it an assurance of a good outcome. On several occasions it’s coupled with the adverb “patiently” (Ouch!). God’s never in a hurry—keep in mind He’s eternal and not bound by time—but in His sovereignty His timing is always right. (See the earlier posting “Always on Time” for an example of this truth.) A 1938 chorus by Norman Clayton has a line, “The road may be long but my Savior is strong and He holds my hand.”

We can be sure that God will always walk with us on this path we call life (“Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.”—Hebrews 13:5, emphasis added). His ways are worth waiting for as is the Eternal Home He’s prepared for us. So let’s wait in expectation for His promise to be fulfilled.

 

Grace and Blessings!

Jim McMillan