Wait on the Lord From The Road to Grace Devotional
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 time 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 that of my sex life. To wait on Him is about far more than just 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 says no to 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 the controls 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 I know I should 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 (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; challenging circumstances are opportunities to grow and see God at work.
So the next time you’re tempted to manipulate, pine for your way, or control, 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
Excerpt from The Road to Grace Devotional
©2012 by Mike Genung. All Rights Reserved. This excerpt may be copied and forwarded only if this permission paragraph is retained intact and a link to this website is included.