Waiting on the Lord

 

In seeking God’s guidance about something on my heart, my first concern is making sure the idea is from God and not selfish ambition on my part. Knowing the difference is important:

Who is wise and understanding among you? By his good conduct let him show his works in the meekness of wisdom. But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast and be false to the truth. This is not the wisdom that comes down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice. But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere. And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace. (James 3:13–18)

God keeps His promises and blesses me beyond my imagination. Yet at the same time, my priorities and trust need to be based on what He says, not on my grand ideas. I might want to do great things, but that might not be His choice for me. As David wrote, I need to have this attitude: 

O Lord, my heart is not lifted up; my eyes are not raised too high; I do not occupy myself with things too great and too marvelous for me. But I have calmed and quieted my soul, like a weaned child with its mother; like a weaned child is my soul within me. (Psalm 131:1–2)

For a weaned child, the hunger is there as is the source to satisfy it, but the child is quiet, not grasping to satisfy self. I often have great ideas yet if they are not from a heart that is content to let God decide, then I’ve not yet been weaned from my selfish ambitions.

Today’s reading points out that David knew that God kept His promises but he also realized that some of His faithfulness depended on keeping his side of the covenant. God does not bless me if I am disobedient, or if I want to do something for my own glory. Piper points to this psalm of David to show my part in doing anything, even if the initial leading is from God. 

“To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul. O my God, in you I trust” Trust God and seek Him knowing He will protect me and “Make me to know your ways, O Lord; teach me your paths. Lead me in your truth and teach me” because He is my God and because for Him “I wait all the day long.” David recalls His mercy and love, His forgiveness  and goodness. He knows, “Good and upright is the Lord; therefore he instructs sinners in the way. He leads the humble in what is right, and teaches the humble his way” and that all that happens “for those who keep his covenant and his testimonies. . . . who fear the Lord. . . . “ and that “the friendship of the Lord is for those who fear him” and whose “eyes are ever toward the Lord.” God will deliver and protect him because he “takes refuge in Him” and “waits for Him.” (Psalm 25)

David is certain of God’s promises and that He desires my faith. If I am walking in the flesh, His priority is to correct that. If my doubts come from that Liar, the accuser of God’s people, God knows that too and will protect me. My part is to wait on the Lord and keep my heart soft and trusting Him, not filled with ambitious ‘I wants’ that cloud my judgment, nor let all those fleshy excuses be a reason for not trusting Him or obeying any tall order that He might give me.

This psalm says He will pluck my feet out of the net, turn to me and be gracious to me, bring me out of my distresses, consider my affliction and my trouble, and forgive all my sins. Hw will also consider my foes, and the hatred of any enemies, guard my soul, and deliver me, let me not be put to shame, and redeem me out of all my troubles. Yet those blessings come only when I fulfill my part in His covenant, even though my salvation is secure because Jesus kept His part in saving me and dying for my sin.

PRAY: Lord, what can I say or do but wait on You to either send marching orders or inform me otherwise. In the meantime, I know what to do next — pray and listen and most of all, obey what You tell me what to do next… 

God lives in His people

Ever since reading an older book called “God’s Part and Our Part” I’ve been trying to figure this out. I’ve noticed that most preachers and Christian books stress one or the other, usually our part. This gives me the feeling of having a human hand raised with a strong and shaking finger pointed at me. It raises guilt too, for no matter how hard I try, my part seems to elude me or gets blurry.

We have moved many times and attended many churches. One year, we were in three different places and attended three different churches — with three different denominations. They had two things in common: the focus of the messages was on what God does and has done for His people, and the services were growing to the point that we had to get there early to find a place to sit.

Since then, I’ve thought that my relationship with God was not like two unequally yoked critters trying to pull a load, but more like a hand in a glove. The ideal is a completely yielded glove, but in this case, the glove has a mind of its own and resists the hand. Yet the more I trust and submit to His desire, the more I am like the hand and the more that glove looks and behaves like the Lord wants me to. The emphasis is on God's part, not mine.

What does this say about obedience? Just this: I cannot do anything apart from the ‘doing’ that my Savior wants and initiates. The glove might comfort others, or help with a project, or even write a blog, but it is really the hand that is making it move. Jesus illustrated it with this:

“I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit. Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you. Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.” (John 15:1–5)

Without His hand, the glove can do nothing in the same way that a chopped off vine cannot produce fruit. Yet His hand is always there because Jesus lives in me. The worst is that I can try to function by ignoring Him, but that cannot succeed because He never leaves me. He may allow my wandering until I realize His overpowering presence. Eventually His hand will have its way because ‘doing nothing’ is a very sad and unfulfilling way to live. Like the prodigal eating pig food, I always run home, even though ‘home’ never left me.

The abiding presence of Jesus is vital to living for Him. The world, the flesh, and certainly the devil would like me to forget what He said: “Behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age” and “I will never leave you or forsake you.” Instead of thinking He is not there, He continually reminds me that He is with me and provides all I need to live for Him.

One more lesson is this: the presence of the hand in the glove is most evident when the glove moves with it. The more I respond to Him, the more I realize His love and power. He even uses my lack of response to teach me the importance of letting Him rule my life. I’m useless without Him.

That said, I am also “in Christ” yet that does not make me the hand and Him the glove. Being ‘in Him’ requires a different description!

PRAY: Lord, Your hand is never raised shaking a stern finger at me because Your hand is part of who I am, and I am not just one of the fingers. The way I live when in harmony with You is how others see You — the hand in the glove. I realize also that I’m not a fancy glove or anything special, but…

I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. (Galatians 2:20)