WAIT

WAIT

"I waited patiently for the Lord!" (Psalm 40:1)

Two words in this verse go hand in hand - wait and patience. Two words that I am really not too good at doing. I am a fixer. If there is a problem, by mind jumps in and wants to immediately try and figure out how to fix it. It becomes a challenge!

Have you found yourself asking the Lord to do something and then find that He isn't quite moving at the pace you thought He should? That's where I am. I am being honest. I've shared about the women's ministry property and how cool this potential location would be for us to get started.

But we are at a standstill with the seller. I spoke with one of our speakers who also is a fixer and he gave me an idea. I was already to run with it this morning ... until I had my quiet time! I was pretty excited about MY plan and MY fix for this delay - then God spoke to my heart through this verse and the words of Mrs. Cowman from Streams in the Desert ...

"Waiting is much more difficult than walking, for waiting requires patience, and patience is a rare virtue ... God has a purpose in all of HIS delays. 'The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord.' (Psalm 37:23).

Next to this verse, in the margin of his Bible, George Mueller made this note: 'And the STOPS too!' It is a vital principle of the Lord's guidance for a Christian never to move from the spot where he is sure God has placed him, until the 'pillar of cloud' (Exodus 13:21) moves.

Once we learn to wait for the Lord's leading in EVERYTHING, we will know the strength that finds its highest point in an even and steady walk. Many of us are lacking the strength we so desire, but God gives complete power for every task He calls us to perform. Waiting - keeping yourself faithful to His leading - this is the secret of strength. And anything that does not align with obedience to Him is a waste of time and energy. Watch and wait for HIS leading.

Must life be considered a failure for someone compelled to stand still, forced into inaction and required to watch the great, roaring tides of life from shore? No - victory is then to be won by standing still and quietly waiting. Yet this is a thousand times harder to do than in the past, when you rushed headlong into the busyness of life. It requires much more courage to stand and wait and still not lose heart or lose hope, to submit to the will of God, to give up opportunities for work and leave honors to others, and to be quiet, confident and rejoicing while the busy multitude goes happily along their way. The greatest life is: 'after you have done everything, to stand!' (Ephesians 6:13)

Well that is where I am today: Wait, stand still, be patient - I can't do that on my own, but through Him - I can! How about you? Is there something in your life that he is saying "Wait patiently on me?"

Great quote: To pray is to desire; but it is to desire what God would have us desire.

Francois Fenelon