Waiting on the Lord
O Lord, hear me as I pray; pay attention to my groaning. Listen to my cry for help, my King and my God, for I pray to no one but you. Listen to my voice in the morning, Lord. Each morning I bring my requests to you and wait expectantly…Because of your unfailing love, I can enter your house; I will worship at your Temple with deepest awe. Lead me in the right path, O Lord. Psalm 5:1-3, 7-8
How can we wait for God to answer our prayers when we have a problem that seemed to be needed to be answered immediately? Waiting is difficult because we feel we are not in control of the situation we are in. We feel inadequate especially when we tend to grapple to find an answer. Yet despite the struggle to wait on the Lord, it will be truly wise to do so. Waiting for God to respond will provide the needed direction. Since our lives are not isolated from others, from our loved ones and friends, decisions and actions could affect those we are ministering to. This is why, waiting for God’s answer will enable us to make the right decision. When there’s pressure to provide a solution, the tendency is to rely on one’s own resources and not wait on God’s timing. This is what the world does; to hurry us to decide because of the pressure it imposes. Then we regret the decision made because it was not what God would lead us to do. The word of God admonishes us not to give in to the world’s pressures instead to wait for godly counsel.” Yet how quickly they forgot what he had done! They wouldn’t wait for his counsel! (Psalm 106:13). God wants us to be equipped in making the right decisions in life. This is why it is imperative that we come to Him in prayer and wait for His guidance. Our cooperation through the stillness and quietness of our heart are needed so we could hear from Him. “He says, “Be still, and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10). As the Psalmist said from the text, because of His great love, He will “lead me in the right path” (Psalm 5:8). Our ability to wait on God provides a measurement of how we have grown in our faith in Him. The more we learn how to wait, the more we grow in our dependence on Him. Waiting on God also helps us assess what is in our hearts and reveals areas that are still self-centered. He desires to reveal His way plain to those whose trust is in Him (Psalm 5:8b). He does all these so that His desires become our desires. He has our best interest in His heart so it will always pay-off when we learn to wait on the Lord.
Blessings,
