We are a nation of doers. We make to-do lists, we problem-solve, we build things, we strive for improvement. We look to ourselves to come up with an answer to fix what is broken. We are always on the go, multi-tasking at every turn to complete our plan. And when we finally stop, most of us fall asleep from exhaustion. But I have good news.
As capable as you may be, the solution is not found in you.
Psalm 62:1 tells us, “I wait quietly before God, for my victory comes from Him.” That’s where it is. That’s where we find the solution to all circumstances. What a simple thing, to wait quietly; yet, what a hard thing to do.
Waiting-
Waiting requires two things: faith that God can and trust that God will. It isn’t about inaction; it’s about remaining yielded to the One. David didn’t just sit on a rock in the desert while he waited on God’s promise to be fulfilled. He led men, fought battles and established an army. All that he did was preparation for when God moved.
As you wait today, do the best you can using your gifts and talents in whatever circumstance you find yourself. Just take the next, right step until God moves.
Quietly Waiting-
To quietly wait means to be still in both spirit and body. David didn’t walk around the desert complaining and bemoaning his situation. He didn’t say, “Ok, God. I’m waiting but I’m not happy about it.” Or tell his men, “I’ve waited and waited and still nothing. This isn’t fair.” Nor did he decide to forcefully take the kingship for himself. David was patient, even in his distress, because his focus was outside himself.
That’s the key to waiting quietly. As our attention turns away from ourselves, focusing instead on God and on other people, we experience a paradigm shift. We lose the need, even the desire, to shout to the world of our plight and instead remain at peace.
Neither waiting nor being quiet comes easily to me. I am naturally both self-reliant and a problem-solver. Show me a dilemma and I automatically brainstorm ways to address it. And patience is a virtue that I am still cultivating each and every moment of each and every day. As for being quiet, well, in elementary school I didn’t fill pages and pages with the words “I will not talk in class” for being a silent child.
But as I look at the obstacles in my life- as you do in yours- I pray that we hold tight to the truth. No matter how it looks through human eyes, the solution is not in us. It is only found in Him.
Message for the Journey:
It’s easy to believe that the resolution to problems rest with us. In our delusion, we are plugged in to everything but tuned out from the important thing. Our actions hold no real solution; victory only comes from God. It’s when we remain at peace, fully yielded to Him, that His utmost plan for us comes to completion.
©Ann Wilds
“I wait quietly before God, for my victory comes from Him. He alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress where I will never be shaken.” Psalm 62:1-2
