God Telling You to Wait? Don’t Build a House of Cards

Waiting is one of the hardest things to do. 

Whenever I sense the Lord telling me to do just that, hints of panic begin to take shape within my heart. Questions of how do I wait, mixed with feelings of wanting to do as I think best, get jumbled together. I almost begin to feel like I can’t breathe. 

But God tells us to wait for Him.

If we’re waiting for anyone or anything else besides the Lord—ourselves, a future spouse, a job, our lives to get easier, anything that will make it all better—we will eventually be sadly disappointed. Counting on those things might seem perfect. But like a house built of cards, they could easily collapse around us.

What does it look like when we don’t wait, but jump ahead of the Lord? As a recovering Pharisee, I’ve had lots of practice in that arena.

1. I don’t take whatever it is and put it before the Lord first. Unlike Hezekiah—who placed the threatening letter from the attacking Assyrians on God’s altar, asking Him to take care of the situation (2 Kings 19:14)—I will try to face head on whatever it is in my own strength.
2. I would jump in with my wonderful wisdom. With either a text, letter, or phone call, I would freely give my unsolicited opinion. 
3. I would try to fix the situation. To make right what was wrong, I would dive in without thinking.

Related Post: Waiting Well, Why Is It So Hard to Do?

My best intentions always ended in a muddled mess.

The Lord, ever so patient, is teaching me though, how to wait. Finally, I am beginning to listen.

1. First, I confess the sin of making myself God and judge. In the same breath, I also ask the Lord to change heart. It is mind boggling to ever think I knew best. How did that come to be? 
2. I am learning to pray about everything. Even if it is just a quickly whispered prayer. Looking to the Lord first is of utmost importance.
3. I am learning to listen for the Lord’s check in my spirit that causes me to pause and for His peace that I can count on to guide and lead me.
4. I am constantly praying for the Lord to knead His obedience into my heart. 

Why should we wait for the Lord? Because He IS our salvation. To trust in anyone or anything else is foolish. He also promises that He hears us when we call to Him. (Micah 7:7)

It’s time to stop parading the banner of self and in humility gladly and freely admit we cannot save ourselves. In Galatians 2:21 (nlt), Paul writes, “I do not treat the grace of God as meaningless. For if keeping the law could make us right with God, then there was no need for Christ to die.” 

Heal our hearts, Lord Jesus. In truth, help us to call out to you. Cause us, as You taught us in Micah 6:8 (nlt), “to do what is right, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with (You) our God.” In Jesus’ name with thankful hearts, we pray. Amen.

Kimberly 

“But as for me, I will look to the Lord; I will wait for the God of my salvation; my God will hear me.”
– Micah 7:7 (nlt)