Ever find yourself up against a brick wall? Searching for a door to get to the other side, but finding none. Or perhaps feeling like you’re standing in a thick, dusky fog, needing to make a move, but no idea which way to step. And you pray to God for help. “Lord, I need direction. I need help. I need an answer.”
Aaaaaand nothing. We bear our hearts to the Lord and ask friends to pray. And nothing. No direction. No answer. The heavens seem silent. We’re left feeling confused. Uncertain. Frustrated. Hurting.
What are we to do? With trust, we wait.
Ah trust. The consistent, critical component on this journey with Jesus. Trust and faith closely intertwine. Our doubts and uncertainty do not alter His trust-worthiness. He is rock-solid. Steadfast. Faithful. And when He appears to hold back, we need to stand on that rock, trusting all we know about our God.
“I do trust, Lord. I trust You to know. I trust You to act. I trust You to lead. But the path in front of me remains dark and confusing. I don’t know whether to move forward, turn, or make a run for it.
A flashing neon deadline looms. A decision must be made. I need to act. I want to proceed in the direction of Your will. But I’m having trouble discerning how this decision plays into Your path for me.
I believe You are all-knowing and all-powerful. That You are ever-present. But I can’t feel you right now. I cannot hear you. I try to tune my ears to Your voice and hear echoing silence.”
Been there? Now what? We continue to wait. Longer. Hard stuff.
Let’s flip the coin over. Let’s say we choose not to trust. Not to wait on God. We make a decision out of our limited knowledge and vision. Leaning on our own understanding. No heavenly perspective on the ramifications and future outcomes of decisions made.
Not a good option. Proverbs 3:5-6 tells us to “Trust in the Lord (commit your way to Him) with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him (know Him), and He will make your paths straight (He will remove the obstacles from your pathway and bring you to your appointed goal).”
So, we wait for Him. Wait beyond our limits. Wait until our toes dangle over the edge of our perceived cliff. Wait ’til the fog lifts just enough to see the very next small step. Seldom the whole scene. Just that next obedient, God-directed step.
However, waiting is not passive, as when we wait in line at the grocery or in traffic. Spiritual waiting is not an impatient, anxious, pacing, demanding wait. Nor a sitting-back, arms-crossed, bored, doubtful, half-asleep waiting.
The Scripture talks a lot about waiting on the Lord and describes an active, participating pause. We are to hold-up with expectancy that He will show up; with patience that His timing is perfect. We wait with confidence in who He is; buoyant with cheerfulness and optimism. We delay our decision with anticipation He will answer us as He always has. We wait in expectant, patient, cheerfully optimistic, confident faith. (Psalm 5:3, Psalm 33:20-21; Psalm 37:7; Psalm 40:1; Psalm 130:5; Isaiah 30:18; Lamentations 3:24; Micah 7:7)
Our waiting vibrates with action. Turning the heat up on our trust, we fight doubt with promises in Scripture. We combat fear with praise. We go to war against uncertainty with the sure foundation of God’s marvelous works of the past. Including our past.
If His answer isn’t forthcoming, perhaps He is preparing His answer for us; or us for His answer. Perhaps something we are grasping, He wants us to release. Or something we’re ignoring He wants us to grab hold of. God does not waste our waiting period. If we are active in our trust, God uses these times of waiting to sharpen our seeking and listening. To grow us and prune us, shaping us into the likeness of His Son. (Romans 8:29) His love for us is immeasurable. He finds pleasure when we seek Him and ask for His direction. Our trust in Him stirs His compassionate power. He will not fail us. Ever.
Photo by Kyle Broad on Unsplash
