What Does God Want While I Wait for an Answer?

In review of Psalm 37:7a it says, “Be still in the presence of the Lord, and wait patiently for him to act”

Bottom Line:

Be patient and trust the Lord

What this means to me:

As I wait, I am to be still in the presence of the Lord and trust Him. I then continue to patiently wait for him to act.

Today’s passage is from the first part of the 37th psalm. In this David tells us not to worry about the wicked or envy those who do wrong (or see what others are getting/doing). For like the grass, they will soon wither away.  I should just trust in the Lord and do good. Then I will live safely in the land and prosper. So I’m to take delight in the Lord, as he will give what my heart desires. Meanwhile, I am to commit everything I do to the Him, trust in him and he promise to help me out. I should be still in the presence of the Lord and wait patiently for him to act.

I get that I’m to trust in and patiently wait for Him, however isn’t there more that I can do while I’m waiting?

Psalm 37:7 says, “Be still in the presence of the Lord, and wait patiently for him to act” (NLT). God wants me to wait patiently for him to answer my prayer.

But God says, “Be still.”

Like a little 2-year-old, I get the spiritual wiggles while we’re waiting for God to answer a prayer. I get nervous and restless. I want to jump up and do something. But God says, “Wait patiently. Be still. Watch me act. Don’t get restless, don’t get nervous, and don’t try to take matters into your own hands.”

The Bible gives me a great example of what can happen if I don’t wait in the life of Abraham. Abraham made the mistake trying to be the answer to his own prayer. It will cause all kinds of problems! One day God told Abraham that he was going to make him the father of a great nation. There were only two problems: Abraham was 99 years old, and he was childless. Abraham looked at his own body and said, “No way, José!” And he looked at his wife Sarah, who was infertile, and said, “Double no way! It ain’t gonna happen.”

So Abraham took matters into his own hands and had a baby with his wife’s maid, Hagar. Abraham said, “Here’s my answer to prayer! I’ve got a son at 99. His name is Ishmael.” God said, “No, no. You missed the point. That’s not my answer to prayer. That’s your answer to prayer. I’ve got a miracle boy who’s coming, and Sarah’s going to be the mom. You’re going to name him Isaac.” Isaac means “laughter.” When Sarah was told that she was going to be pregnant, the Bible says she laughed because she didn’t believe God.

But I guess God had the last laugh. Isaac was born, and it started an intense rivalry between him and Ishmael that we’re still paying for today. The tense relationship between Jews and Arabs all began because Abraham tried to answer his own prayer request.

Whenever I try to answer my own prayer, I’m asking for trouble. Instead, I’m to wait patiently, and watch God act.

In my own life I have been feeling like I’d like a change in the job role that I currently fill.  I have put my name into the hat for several opportunities, only to start down a path but then be blocked. So I must wait patiently and watch God act. He has something in mind in the future that I just can’t see or even comprehend, or he may have something in mind for me to do in my current role that I have yet to fulfill.

The best thing for me to do, is to continue with what He has already told me to do and then just wait on him.