Pray in the Hallway

By Ada William

A few weeks ago in church, our preacher shared a line that has stayed with me ever since.

“If you’re wondering what door to walk through, pray in the hallway.”

He was quoting someone else, and I did not catch the original source. I did, however, catch the message.

Most of us have stood in that hallway at one time or another. We know something is changing, but we do not know what comes next. There may be several doors in front of us, and none of them are clearly marked. We ask God to show us which one to open, but the answer does not always come as quickly as we would like.

Waiting is hard. People who live and work in rural communities understand waiting better than most. Farming, ranching and caring for animals require patience. You can prepare the ground, plant the seed and pray for rain, but you cannot force a crop to grow overnight. You can breed the best mare to the best stallion, provide good feed and proper care, and still wait nearly a year to see the foal. You can put up hay, repair fences and prepare barns, but you cannot control what kind of winter is coming.

Rural life involves a great deal of faith. You do your part, and then you wait.

Of course, waiting does not mean doing nothing. A farmer does not plant a field and ignore it until harvest. There are weeds to control, equipment to maintain and weather forecasts to watch. A rancher waiting for a calf crop still checks cattle, watches the condition of the cows and makes sure the calving pasture is ready.

The waiting season has work of its own.

I think the same is true when we wait on God to show us what comes next. Praying in the hallway means more than standing still and staring at the doors. It means using that time to draw closer to God, listen carefully and prepare ourselves for whatever He may ask us to do.

Sometimes I want an immediate answer. I want God to make the right door obvious, open it wide and hang a large sign above it that says, “This way.”

That is not usually how it works.

Sometimes the hallway lasts longer than we expected. A job opportunity does not come through. A relationship changes. A plan we felt certain about falls apart. A prayer seems to go unanswered.

It can be tempting to grab the nearest doorknob because we are tired of waiting.

Anyone who has worked cattle knows that pushing too hard at the wrong time usually creates more trouble. Cattle move better when the handler pays attention to pressure, timing and position. There are moments to step forward and moments to back away. Trying to force movement before the path is clear can scatter the whole herd.

I have had times in my own life when I tried to force a door open because I was convinced it was the one I needed. Other times, I hesitated to step through a door because it was not the one I had pictured.

Looking back, I can see that some closed doors were protection. Some delays were preparation. Some unanswered prayers were answered differently than I expected.

Waiting doesn’t get easier, but the hallway is not wasted space.

The hallway may be where God changes our plans. It may be where He strengthens our faith, corrects our attitude or teaches us to depend on Him instead of our own understanding. It may be where we finally become quiet enough to hear what He has been saying all along.

Rural life teaches us that there is a season for everything. There is a time to plant and a time to harvest, a time to mend fence and a time to move cattle. There is a time to work, a time to wait and a time to trust that God is still handling what we cannot see.

When the right door opens, we may understand why the others stayed closed. We may also never fully understand, at least not in this life. Either way, we can trust the One who sees beyond the hallway.

When I find myself unsure of what comes next, I hope I remember the words I heard that Sunday morning. I may not know which door to walk through or when it will open, but I know what I can do while I wait.

I can pray in the hallway.