Our complete dependency on God through Christ is a permanent aspect of our lives. When we go ahead without His direction, we become guilty of the sin of presumption. It is doing that which the Lord has not authorised, or attempting to do more than He wills. The antidote is to wait on God to reveal His will and plan. But in the pressures of life and the need to get things we want done, how long should we wait?
My question betrays a misunderstanding of what it means to wait on God. Waiting on the Lord is not passivity. Rather, it is attending to what God is initiating. It is hard work, because it stirs up the inner demons of fear, worry and mistrust. Waiting on God shakes us to the very core of our being again and again…can we trust God enough to let Him be in control? Can we always trust His timing? Does God realise what time it is? Is He aware I’m not getting any younger?
Janet, a friend once shared with me her agony of four years of living with an abusive and uncaring husband. When at 40 without a man in her life, she said her waiting on the Lord expired. And becauses he ran out of time with God, she ran into a life time of domestic violence, abuse and multiple delays. She thought God was too slow in His handling of her marital issues; she decided to accept whoever comes her way. Readily this man whom she married showed up at a friend’s Christmas party.
Though he was showing some signs of irresponsibility during the short courtship they had, Janet would not be bothered as long as she gets married and at least cease to be single. Now that the marriage had broken down irretrievably, she said “I cannot blame God. I wished I waited for the Lord to give me His choice, I would not need to begin another waiting now”.
Many divorcees today will always say they wished they had waited a little bit longer, majority attribute their failed marriages to hasty choices and decisions. Not unmindful also of our world where quick fixes have become the order of the day. When God is delaying, the internet chat room can provide one, the social networking sites can connect us and several other man made arrangements can talk out a solution.
Without ignoring the fact that waiting on the Lord can sometimes be difficult, endurance is a virtue that waiting builds.
Not waiting to the end is not an option either. “I wait for the LORD, my whole being waits, and in his word I put my hope.” Psalm 130:5. The word of God has all the answers to the challenges of waiting. Digging deeper into God’s word reveals His will while we wait. Waiting to step into what He is initiating requires us to put aside our plans and agendas. Waiting for Him to speak requires us to make time to first still ourselves and allow the noise to subside.
Waiting, not knowing what He may say, do or ask of us can be frightening; it requires us to trust that whatever He does is for the best. Psalm 27:14 says “Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD.”
In my experience when I’ve waited, heard and obeyed, it has always been far more effective and productive than when I’ve rushed ahead without direction. The discipline of waiting on the Lord is a life long process, but one that we need to embrace as individuals. “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” (Jeremiah 29: 11) As we look forward to the Lord’s agenda for our lives in 2011, let’s make time to wait on God to hear, trust and obey His perfect plan and purpose for our lives.
To put it simply, the only way to have hope is to have Him. The only way to have peace is to have Him.
As Paul reminds us in Romans 15:13, hope—as well as peace and joy—come through faith. It is true that many people claim to have faith in God during the good times, but when trials come their way, their faith is clearly lacking.
In times when our vision of God becomes blurred by sorrow, the eyes of faith are more important than ever. George Macdonald, author and mentor to C.S. Lewis, once wrote: “I think faith can never have a greater victory than when it will trust even in the midst of darkness and doubt and temptation.” What a great definition of victorious faith!—faith in our victorious God who never loses control of His people . . . and His planet.
The truth is, God’s will for us isn’t [even] nullified by our suffering, nor does it end at the grave. Our hope rests in the promise that our lives will stretch far beyond these few fleeting moments on earth, into an eternity of heavenly joy and satisfaction.
Are you willing to believe that God will make a way where there seems to be no way? He works in ways we cannot see … He will make a way! This is a year for hope – not despair.
Hope or optimism is not about denying reality; it is about seeing the possibilities for creating a better reality than you currently have in the God of all possibilities.
More grace for the days of waiting for God can be attained by focusing on the past and present blessings that we have received and strength to enjoy waiting can be gained by focusing on those talents and gifts you know God has given you.
Faith in the promises of God naturally leads to a hopeful expectation of their fulfilment. Pray that God will increase your faith in Him, not allowing it to waver amidst difficult circumstances, but instead, causing it to grow stronger through them. Psalms 42.
Be encouraged.
graceville@effectualmag.com