June 28 – Wisdom in Waiting (Psalm 106:1-23)

“They soon forgot what he had done and did not wait for his counsel.”(Psalm 106:13)

IN WORD:
You’ve asked God for direction. It has not yet come. You feel as if you must act. Surely God must want you to go with your best instincts. If He did not, He surely would have answered by now. His silence can mean nothing other than to go ahead and do what you think is best, right?
Psalm 106 recounts the history of Israel’s rebellion. One aspect of their disobedience was following the urge to act when God had not yet given counsel. They forgot His goodness. Had they remembered, they would have waited; but human nature finds waiting to be difficult. When clear memories of God’s benefits are absent, we feel we must seek our own benefit. The people of Israel forgot that God was their defender, provider, protector, deliverer, and all-purpose miracle worker. So which direction did they pursue? “They gave in to their craving” (v. 14).
The impulse to act quickly always leads us to our own human devices. On what else can we base our decisions when we have not waited for God’s direction? We have no other recourse. We choose to do what we think is best, and we are left then with the limitations of our thinking. God rarely works in a rush. Forming Jesus within us — the renewal of our minds — takes time.

IN DEED:
There is virtually no way to discern God’s will without waiting quietly. Self-generated desires must be quelled. God must be asked. We must listen. The Word must take root in our hearts. The counsel of others in the body of Christ must be sought. The options must be weighed. In time, one course of action will stand clear. The voice of God will whisper in your ear: “This is the way. Walk in it.”
How much do you trust the wisdom of God? Enough to wait until after it’s “too late”? God won’t heed our deadlines, but He is never too late. His direction will come, His way will be clear, and His timing will be perfect.

“He never comes to those who do not wait.”
-Frederick William Faber-