If you are like me, you have prayed to God for a million things by now, and He has answered most if not all of them. Sometimes He says an emphatic "Yes!" At times, God says a loud "No", and at others, "Wait, my child". If I am honest, sometimes I am like that recalcitrant child that throws a passive tantrum for the "no's" that I really really desire. And while I am usually patient when God tells me to wait for something for which I have prayed, when the delay seems to be taking an eternity... long months and sometimes years, I begin to squirm, sigh and wonder if God is still taking my phone calls to heaven. Sounds familiar? Maybe during this holding time when God is deathly silent, you may decide to give up even if He did not tell you, "no". Our attitude may be, "God, you are taking too long. Just forget it!" Have you ever been here?
I have had multiple deadlines for decisions to be made and I believe God would audibly say "Narda, this is the way, walk in it. But the time would come to give an answer and I had none to give, except I am waiting on the LORD. When I have said it a few times to the same people, I may begin to feel a little foolish because God's ears seem to be "heavy " with other people's prayers. He seemed to have placed my replies in the wrong mailbox. What about you? Promotions come and pass, potential husbands or wives may arrive and leave, friendships may begin to sour instead of sweeten, bank accounts may run dry, evictions may take place, illness may worsen or refuse to relinquish its hold... death may even occur in certain cases and frustration may take root as you ponder what else to do. You may ask has God forsaken me? Am I doing something wrong here? In such times I would say to God, "Lord, I want a better life."
I have a silent prayer request that I have been praying and today the Lord proclaimed a wonderful verse to buffer Satan's darts of doubt and perplexity. It is found in the counsels of God's wisdom in the book of Isaiah 30:18:
And therefore will the Lord wait, that He may be gracious unto you, and therefore will He be exalted, that He may have mercy upon you: for the Lord is a God of judgment: blessed are all they that wait for him.
The Lord is waiting on me? You? Apparently so. Just as the farmer waits for his crops to grow, so does our heavenly Father wait for us to grow in faith and depend fully upon Him! God always wants to do something good for us. Yet his hands are tied by something we may be doing or not be doing. Perhaps it may be a sin of commission or omission. Sometimes the latter is the one that enchains us and hems up the blessings that God may want to bestow upon us. God is waiting for me to come in line with His will, His way, His life. He is waiting for me to be completely still.
What does it mean to be still while waiting for the Lord? Be obedient to every truth He has revealed to you. Maintain a strong devotional life and keep studying His Word. Be faithful in the service or mission He has called you to fulfill and don't let anything else absorb your attention. If you are running like Jonah from something God asked of you because you don't want to do it... stop, repent, and obey! Don't try to force the issue. Ensure that there is no blockage to Him acting on your behalf because of pride, selfishness, impatience, lack of compassion, and unforgiveness. Finally, keep praying, things may get worse before they get better. Therefore, stay on your knees and never stop trusting He is waiting to do what is best for you. Then watch God work for you:
...thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, This is the way, walk ye in it, when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left.
Isaiah 30:21
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Love your musings!