If you didn’t know, I’m Gen X. Our motto is, “If it is to be, it’s up to me.” With that kind of mentality, I find it hard to wait. I like to make decisions and move into action. Sitting around having endless discussions drives me nuts. Would someone just make a decision and let’s go? That kind of thinking can be good in certain scenarios, but it can also be dangerous when God says to wait. I’m not sure why He likes to wait or take His time on things, but sitting around waiting on Him is difficult for me. It’s something we all must learn to do. God is rarely in a hurry, and almost never operates on our time table. When situations worsen, that’s when He seems to take the longest and the temptation to move becomes strongest.
King Saul was also a person who struggled to wait. In 1 Samuel 13, Samuel had told Saul to wait seven days, then he would show up to make the sacrifice for the battle. When seven days had passed, Saul looked at his situation instead of his instructions. His mean were fearful and deserting while the enemy was amassing in numbers. He went ahead and did the sacrifice himself without waiting for Samuel. It cost him the kingdom. David, who replaced him, was pretty good at waiting however. A few times, he was given the opportunity to kill Saul and become king, but he waited. He knew God would make a way. It wasn’t up to him to remove Saul. He was simply to replace him, so he waited. Because of his patience, God made him victorious and gave him a lasting legacy.
In Psalm 62:1 David wrote, “I wait quietly before God, for my victory comes from him” (NLT). When was the last time you simply waited before God? When is the last time you put away all your distractions, stopped thinking about everything that needed to be done in that moment and just waited? We forget that God is the one who gives victory. He is the one who gives success. We’re so busy trying to do it ourselves that we forget He is our supplier. He is our source. We, like Saul, think everything has to be done right now, and we try to do both our part and God’s. However, He is calling you and me to sit at His feet and wait. We must be more like David and less like Saul. Our human nature pressures us to be like Saul, but His Spirit in us beckons us to wait. What will you choose today?
Photo by Christopher Osten on Unsplash
Devotions by Chris Hendrix 