Wait on the Lord
54728769 – profile shot of a young man with his eyes closed meditatively in an early morning forest
Rest in the Lord and wait patiently for Him…
Psalms 37:7
In our culture of instant gratification, waiting—for anything—goes against the grain. We want what we want and we want it now. For those who struggle with sexual sin, the selfishness that characterizes our day courses through our veins. Wife won’t give me sex? I’ll take matters into my own hands and have it now, with porn, myself, or another woman.
“Waiting on the Lord” is a way of life that forces us to look up. If my wife isn’t in the mood for physical intimacy, I can choose to respond in spite, or I can wait on the Lord. God is sovereign. He reigns over every detail of life—including my sex life. To wait on Him is about far more than learning patience. It is choosing to see life through God’s eyes from a place of humble surrender to His will and purpose.
In the process of waiting, there is a treasure trove of wisdom to be discovered. When my wife is not in the mood for sex, I look up and ask the Lord how He wants me to see the situation. The answer may not come immediately, but I choose to wait for it. When God does speak, either through an impression, His word, or a friend, often His counsel is to focus on what’s going on with my wife. Is she hurting? Had a rough day? Have I been loving her like I should? Is anything between us? How has our communication been? Have we been talking on a heart to heart level, or have I been treating her like a roommate—or a sex object?
Waiting on God takes me to a deeper place of trust. Since I often botch it up when I try to force circumstances to work out my way, giving the Lord room to operate is the smart option. As I release control and let Him take over, something weird happens—I start to relax, even in the toughest circumstances. Maybe this is why resting and waiting are bound together in Psalms 37:7.
Waiting is not passive. As I wait, I continue to seek God’s counsel, along with that of my trusted friends. I work on doing the things that are commanded in God’s Word, such as loving my wife, providing for my family, staying out of isolation, and doing whatever it takes to crucify my flesh and live free from lust.
When life doesn’t make sense, I wait on Him to work it out for me. In the process, I exchange man’s wisdom and ways for God’s. Men—including even my Christian brothers—might advise me to move forward with my plans, while the Lord could be saying, “I have another way.” If we don’t check with Him first and wait for the answer, we may miss out on blessings—or needed direction.
As I watch God show up and work, my faith grows. Life becomes an adventure, and challenging circumstances are opportunities to grow and see God at work.
So the next time you’re tempted to be manipulative, pine for your way, or be controlling, step back, take a step of faith, and wait on the Lord. You may catch a glimpse of Him along the way.
The Lord is good to those who wait for Him, to the person who seeks Him.
Lamentations 3:25
Excerpted from Mike Genung’s book, 100 Days on The Road to Grace, A Devotional for the Sexually Broken
Image Copyright : mavoimage