We generate that type of radical faith that Gideon had by waiting on God. Waiting on the Lord means exactly that-waiting for him. It’s not about waiting for guidance or waiting for a sign; It’s waiting on him. Guidance will often flow from that right relationship with God, but it is not the primary goal. What we must seek is relationship, not direction. Waiting is a relational activity.
David, as a shepherd, psalmist, and king, understood this dynamic better than anyone throughout scripture. He loved to wait on the Lord.
Psalm 25: 3-indeed, none of those who wait for you will be ashamed; Those who deal treacherously without cause will be ashamed. Make me know your ways, oh Lord; Teach me your paths. Lead me in your truth and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation; For you I wait all the day.
David wanted to know how to walk before God. He wanted to know how God’s mind worked so that he could think like him. He wanted to know how God wanted him to act on days of adversity and trouble. David was a lot like Gideon-so confident in God’s ability that it didn’t matter if it were 32,000 or 300 men in his army. If God is for us, who can be against us? -Romans 831 that is outrageous confidence in the will of God.
Waiting on the Lord is purely relational. We just sit in his presence, improving the quality of our worship and adoration. We get filled up with the things of heaven. Imagine just reclining in God’s arms, not bothering him with dozens of questions, but simply loving who he is. Waiting is about breathing in his presence and becoming saturated with who he is. We are called to be completely preoccupied with God. Waiting on God is purely relational.
Psalm 27: 4-one thing I’ve asked of the Lord, that I shall seek: that I may dwell in the House of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord and to meditate in his temple.
Joshua lived the same way while in the desert all those years.
Exodus 33: 11-thus the Lord used to speak to Moses face to face, just as a man speaks to his friend. When Moses returned to the camp, his servant Joshua, the son of Nun, a young man, would not depart from the tent.
Joshua’s priority was to live where the presence of the Lord was.
How many of us are making plans this year to improve our worship? How much time are we putting aside to simply adore Jesus? When do we just let him be God and bask in the presence of his magnificence?
None of us have a desire to be the worst Christian who ever lived, but few of us have a plan to become the best one. If we don’t plan to worship, we won’t do it. If we don’t set time aside to sit in the presence of God, we’ll never get around to it. We’re so busy working through the issues of everyday life that we have completely forgotten how to interact with the very source of it all. This is the currency that our lives run on. Time is precious. Spending time with someone proves that you love them.
Time is our most valuable commodity. Determining how we use it can lead us to success or failure. Insignificant people waste time. Good people find time. Great people make time!
Psalm 27: 8-when you said, seek my face, my heart said to you, your face, Lord, I shall seek.
This command is simple: seek me for who I am. If you seek me, I’ll make sure you find me. David’s ability to wait on God became the very foundation of his confidence in God’s will. Waiting is the cultivation of anticipation.
Psalm 27: 11-teach me your way, oh Lord, and lead me in a level path because of my foes. Do not deliver me over to the desire of my adversaries, for false witnesses have risen against me, and such as breathe out violence. I would have despaired unless I believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait for the Lord; Be strong and let your heart take courage; yes, wait for the Lord.
David’s ability to wait on God is truly remarkable. In the worst seasons of distress, with hostile troops surrounding him, and an angry king out to kill him, he waited on God. His followers must have been worried, but David wasn’t he knew that worshipping God on the day of trouble was the very thing that would ensure his victory. Again and again in his Psalms, David sang of the beauty of waiting on the Lord.
Psalm 37: 7-rest in the Lord and wait patiently for him; do not fret because of him who prospers in his way, because of the man who carries out wicked schemes.
It is an absolute delight to wait on the Lord. It creates such a natural relationship with him that we begin to seek out more and more opportunities to simply dialogue with him. Suddenly, we begin to talk to the Lord about everything. We look around and are reminded constantly of his beauty and grace.
Building a relationship with God secures our inheritance.
Psalm 37: 34-wait for the Lord and keep his way, and he will exalt you to inherit the land; when the wicked are cut off, you will see it.
We don’t have to worry about our future, destiny, or identity because God has got all that covered. All these things are simply added to us when we relax in his presence. The plans he has for us unfold in his heart. Once we are in his presence and ready to receive them, they will surely flow to us.
Psalm 37: 23-the steps of a man are established by the Lord, and he delights in his way. When he falls, he will not be hurdled headlong, because the Lord is the one who holds his hand. We may stumble, but God holds our hand. Relationship belongs to us, but guidance is his alone.
It is not our job to seek God’s will, but to seek being in His presence, once we are in his presence he will guide us. It’s our joy to seek his face. Seeking God’s face is a pleasure. Relationship is the key to all things spiritual. I choose to spend time in worship, adoration, and meditation. Seeking the Lord’s face is a pleasure. The Lord knows what is coming, and I am confident that he will show me if I cannot work it out for myself-John 16: 13.
God speaks in many ways. Sometimes, it is clear from the start that this is the will of God because his fingerprints are all over the situation. His hand is unmistakable, like the Macedonian vision, we cannot deny it. Other times, God outright forbids us from doing something. Either way, I’m happy for his intervention because I know I’m in his will. It’s not an agonizing process. It’s very peaceful and occasionally quite humorous.
A minister friend would hear a click, when the Lord desired for him to have a relational connection, instead of a ministry opportunity. It was a sound from heaven-Acts 2: 2. For him it was fun; Every time he heard the sound, his spirit would leap in excitement, knowing that a divine connection had been made. The sound then became replaced with something else because the father likes variety. He is still creating. He loves the interaction of his heart with ours and the relationship that it provokes.
We wait on God at certain times and for certain seasons. The Lord loves to be specific on occasions. There is a lovely sense of drama about putting time aside to cultivate a special word, thought or invitation. Often these times are characteristic of heaven’s interaction in our lives. Doors open, new permissions are granted, fresh anointings are released. We move to a different level in the spirit.
We also wait on God within the sensitivity of our heart to his. Waiting on God is a relational activity that runs throughout each busy day as a lifestyle experience-a turning and a lifting of the heart in praise and Thanksgiving, a rest of mind and heart, a unity of peace within that enables us to be still. It’s a simple delight in listening, the cultivation of anticipation, knowing that if God does not speak initially, he will speak eventually. Waiting on God is part of our abiding in Christ, learning to dwell and remain in an attentive manner. It’s a joy to hang out in the Holy Spirit. It’s the simple, beautiful demonstration of the fact that my life is no longer my own. I share all of it with the one who knows me best and loves me the most.