One of the most difficult lessons anyone will ever learn is to be patient and wait, especially if they are asked to wait on God.
Often God will ask us to do something, and without thinking, because we believe we know how to carry out the request, we immediately rush off to carry out what has been asked of us, thinking it simple, and not thinking the whole thing through to the end, so that we can do it in a way that will please God.
We gather things together that we figure we will need and know how to use, and as we go along we’re thinking okay this is great, this will work. We assemble things in such a fashion, thinking to ourselves, God’s going to love to see that I’ve taken the initiative and look how great everything’s coming together.
Finally we get everything assembled and put together and we’re ready to show God just how great we are, and God says Whoa! this isn’t what I wanted you to do at all. I wanted this and this, and you left out this and that. We forgot the most important thing of all, to ask God how He wishes or wills this project to be handled. We forgot to patiently wait on God for His perfect way to carry out His request, so now we have to start all over again.
We allowed ourselves to fall into one of satan’s little traps, that we can handle things without God, that sometimes we need to wait because God’s way is perfect. Jesus even instructed His Apostles to wait or abide in Him at John 15: 4-5 for Jesus knew that through Him, Almighty God would work miraculous things, and through Jesus the Apostles could do miracles too. Jesus himself admitted over and over to His Apostles that He did nothing himself that it was Almighty God working through Jesus that got things done.
Even after His death, Jesus meets the Apostles in the upper room, their lives in chaos, they’re scared, ready to run and hide to flee Jerusalem, and what does Jesus tell them, have patience, and wait for that which the Father had promised, The Holy Spirit. If they fled, if they hadn’t listened and exercised patience and waited they would not only have missed out on the most wonderous Gifts from God through His Holy Spirit, they would have risked being disobedient to God, stepping out of His Will.
To sit and do nothing, patiently abiding, waiting on God, waiting on His perfect ways can sometimes be the most difficult thing we ever have to do, especially if your world is falling apart, and you’re feeling vulnerable and helpless but at those times, this is exactly what God needs us to do,sit, be still, do nothing, have patience, waiting on His plan, His perfect solution.
Many times either at work or in different circumstances, I ‘ve come across others struggling and facing difficulties. Had I at that moment advised them to slow down or be careful, to not push on so hard unaware of what might be ahead, or even to try a different approach to the problem or the task at hand, I’d have probably gotten a resentful glare and told to mind my own business, only to see the look on their faces later when they failed.
One of satan’s little temptations is to try and convince us that if we want fame and glory and special recognition, we can do anything and do it by ourselves, there is no need to wait relying on God, it’s simple we can do it. Meanwhile God tells us patience, abide in me I am in control. This does not mean though that we are to be passive participants, expecting God to do everything, because without us working for Him, serving Him it cannot and will not get accomplished. God is the archetect, the master builder, we are the servants to carryout his plans, his way.
Jesus drew all of His power and knowledge from Almighty God Our Father. His energy eminated from The Father. He illustrates this to us as he awaits being handed over to his captors, as he tells God, “Yet not my will but thine be done.”
One has to ask oneself, which is better to risk messing things up by forging ahead on your own ignoring God, and possibly have things turn out a mess. Are you the kind of person who is willing to take risks, and end up taking a wrong turn out of pride. Or are you the sort of person to exercise patience, abiding in God to show humility and a willingness to serve Him doing things His perfect way?
Our walk through life is supposed to be one of love, respect, and service, and walking in accordance to His will. To think that we are able to serve him in our own way, rushing, making mistakes, not listening, are big No No’s that can and will end up in having to do it all over again.
As dutiful servants of God and Jesus we must serve with patience, faith, humility, confidence, quietness of spirit, obedience, surrender, and joy.
Knowing that God’s way is perfect, and usually effortless, knowing that God has taken care to work out every detail to perfection, why would we hasten into doing things a different way and possibly fail?