Isn’t doing something better than just waiting?
Waiting for God is depending on God. So do you want to depend on yourself or God?
Somewhere along the Christian journey, I [Kirk] synthesized the belief that if I were to walk by faith, I must first do something in the name of faith to offer proof of having faith – a serving of faith to create saving faith to be secure in faith. Unfortunately, such would amount to little more than trying to convince myself that I believed in Jesus. I would seek faith for faith’s sake, thinking that I would be rich in faith and a faithful follower of Christ when I had mined enough of this divine gold.
Waiting for God
The notion of waiting upon God did not seem to be a spiritually approved function of one who was dynamically pursuing Christ. But Biblical faith is more than what you believe. Biblical faith is an understanding that the what serves only to bring you to the who you rely on.
Waiting upon God is to depend upon Him. Many relegate “walking by faith” to doing those things that are bold or sacrificial in the name of God. However, this may be missing the simple truth of waiting upon God. Moses wandered in the wilderness for forty years due to his unwillingness to wait.
Wait patiently for the Lord.
Psalm 27:14 NLT
Be brave and courageous.
Yes, wait patiently for the Lord.
Waiting My Way
Moses’ wandering launched immediately upon doing God’s work in his own human way, killing the Egyptian soldier. The violation of Egyptian law was not God’s plan for Moses. This violent act exposed the achieving of God’s will to undue obstacles, all because Moses’s impulsive nature was unwilling to wait. The consequences of not waiting take us places by the force of our choice that we will not want to travel, in Moses’ case, the wilderness wandering.
Note that there is a vast difference between the wilderness wandering and the wilderness sojourn of some forty years. Waiting on God is a precursor to experiencing the power of God within the human condition fraught with powerlessness. The extent to which we resist God’s plan is the extent to which we are disposed to wander.
I HAVE to do something!
We are most uncomfortable with waiting and feel that to wait is akin to doing nothing. Such a perspective helps us see the problem. We think we can do something for God by simply doing what we believe seems logical. How far from the point could we be? Do we even know what God wills to accomplish? Do we know what He wishes to achieve as He empowers us with His Spirit? Is it possible that our spiritual gifts are a reservoir of God’s power on earth waiting for God’s wielding?
“For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
Isaiah 55:8–9 NIV
neither are your ways my ways,”
declares the LORD.
“As the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are my ways higher than your ways
and my thoughts than your thoughts.”
The wandering was not without divine purpose. It caused Moses to reach the limits of his ability so that divine enabling could occur. We do not understand who we are until we define ourselves by our limitations. The conclusions we reach about ourselves while gazing from the summit of our life’s powerlessness are genuinely virtuous. We move to embrace humility and a desire to wait upon God.
True Waiting
Waiting brings to light who and what we are as we stand before God. Actual waiting upon God indicates reliance on Him and resting in Him. Also, brokenness before Him signifies a readiness to receive from Him the very essence of what He desires to give. So waiting is vital in helping clarify our doing God’s work His way over seeking our will in His name. Waiting signifies our utter disregard for what self can do and places value on God to lead us.
We stand ready to do God’s will as He provides us the power to accomplish His good pleasure. While waiting, we engage Christ relationally in prayer, through the Scriptures, and by the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Here we ask God to guide us into the full knowledge of His will so we may seek His good pleasure. When we receive His wisdom and spiritual understanding, we walk worthy of the Lord.
Therefore I, a prisoner for serving the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of your calling, for you have been called by God.
Ephesians 4:1 NLT
As you climb the steps to spiritual maturity you will grow in dependence on God. The fruit of His Spirit will also yield patience to calm your heart. Waiting for God is depending on God. So do you want to depend on yourself or God?
Insight Journal
- What keeps me from waiting for God’s direction in my life?
- What sins must I confess in light of this admission?
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