Waiting on God
I've been thinking about waiting on God a lot lately. It was a sub-topic at the women's retreat and the topic of my Bible study this last week. I'm not exactly sure what waiting on God "looks" like but I'm pretty sure it isn't easy.
Yesterday the kids and I were driving home from Hearts and Samuel asked for his book that had fallen down next to his car seat. I explained I was driving and he would need to wait until I came to a stop light and then I would reach back and get his book. A few quiet moments passed and I heard him say, "I got it". I looked in the mirror to see he had slithered his little arms out of the safety straps and leaned down and gotten his book himself.
Frustrated, I pulled over and got his arms back in and tightened down the straps! As we started back home again I talked to Samuel about safety and the importance of seat belts and because he's (almost) 3 he heard, "Blah, blah, blah". After my lecture I thought about the parallel of Samuel waiting on me and me waiting on God. Like Samuel, my immaturity and self-centeredness often demands something of God without thinking about others, timing, consequences, etc. I have my own pleasure in mind and I want it right now; I will do anything to get it, even if it means taking matters in to my own hands. But, here's the good stuff, when we take matters into our own hands, when we don't wait on God, we compromise our safety. When we take matters into our own hands our focus shifts from Christ to our wants...and that's a dangerous place.
None of this is to say we should just sit around and wait for God to dump things in our life. While sometimes He does just "dump" wonderful things in our life and on our lap, we also sometimes need to make the call, fill out the app, see the doctor, whatever that first step may be. All I'm saying is that before any of those first steps are made we must make sure God is in the planning and God is doing the leading.
Again, to be honest, I'm not sure what waiting on God looks like. I'm not good at waiting and honestly no situation comes to mind when I've desperately been seeking the Lord and had to wait and wait and wait to hear His voice. I know that day (or season) will come though and I want to be strong in His Spirit and Word to be able to be patient and to discern His voice when it comes. What does waiting on God look like to you?
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