How To Wait Well With God

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This is the Truth Network. So, have you ever had one of those conversations in the car and being a Christian car guy I say this, it goes kind of like, if we could just get around this car then I can make the light because it lasts so long. Do you want me to pull over so I can drive? No, it's just that I read traffic differently than you do. I don't see why we should stay stuck behind someone who isn't going the speed limit.

There's another lane that we could safely get around them. Well, we've probably all had those conversations now, haven't we? Nobody likes it when someone is a backseat driver, but no one likes it when that person who isn't thinking about others and is blocking traffic, they don't like that either. And the reason we're mentioning this on Encouraging Prayer today is that we tend to get uncomfortable when things are both out of our control or we have to wait. The waiting is the hardest part. One of my favorite quotes from Tom Petty. But it's so true, Robbie, and my wife and I had one of those conversations just yesterday. But let's talk about this. How do we wait well with God?

Because I believe if we learn that it makes the waiting so much easier, even to the point where it can seem like we're hardly waiting at all. And so much here is a matter of focus. And when we're going through a difficult season, you know, where it just seems like nothing is changing, maybe you've been there for years, maybe you could be there for several more, you know, this matters.

It matters so much. Darrell Bock Yeah, so James, when we were talking about this earlier, we mentioned, you know, how there's all sorts of biblical examples about king. But you pointed to one that I think I've certainly thought about before, and that's David in 1 Samuel chapter 22. James Mizpah and asks him, Please allow my father and mother to live here with you. And then he says this, until I know what God is going to do for me.

So David's parents stayed Moab with the king during the entire time David was living in the stronghold. So that's 1 Samuel 22, three and four. But it's that wording, until I know what God is going to do for me, that really gets me here, because David knew that things wouldn't be resolved overnight. And so he took, you know, practical steps and prepared himself emotionally for, you know, for the waiting for things being beyond his control. And it's this whole posture of expectation that I find so fascinating here. Darrell Bock Oh, yeah, well, let's go there. You know, it certainly seems important, you know, when we're praying about something that's going on.

James Mizpah This is where the matter of focus is so important. It almost sounds like a cliche to say that, you know, we have to keep our eyes on God and not on the difficulty. We know that, we've heard that. And yet, sometimes it's so difficult to do that when the problem is ongoing. You know, your prodigal keeps making bad choices or, you know, that financial difficulty isn't going away, or it's just the, you know, emotional drip, drip, drip of a difficult relationship.

You know, these things that keep on going. Darrell Bock Yeah, but it's times like that, where our faith either, right, means something or it doesn't. And we have to run to God to find that extra strength, really, just to get us through.

James Mizpah Exactly. And not only that, it's not just about getting through. He is Jehovah Rapha, our healer. And that means that these things that have been taking their toll on our souls, well, he's able to restore our souls, you know, just as the 20th Psalm tells us.

And it's that soul-restoring work that's so amazing when he does it. And just think about Psalm 46, the Lord is our refuge and strength. And never a present help in trouble, therefore, we will not fear. Darrell Bock Yeah, and just think about the way the Psalm goes on. Therefore, we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea. Everything is literally falling apart. But because of God being who he is, he becomes what matters most of all.

James Mizpah That's it, Robby. I mean, that's the taking heart part that Jesus talked about when he said that he's overcome the world, you know, take heart because I've overcome the world. And it's what happens when God isn't just an idea, but when he's really our friend. And if we can go there more, if we can just be in that moment with him, he shifts our focus in such a way that it isn't that the thing goes away. It still matters.

It's still important. But because we know that he is with us, things change. And you see this in David's life in one of the Psalms that he wrote when he was running from Psalm 59. He writes at the end of it, but as for me, I will sing about your power each morning. I will sing with joy about your unfailing love for you have been my refuge, a place of safety when I'm in distress. Oh, my strength to you I sing praises for you, O God, are my refuge, the God who shows me unfailing love.

Darrell Bock Wow. I mean, that really sums it up, doesn't it? I mean, you see David's determination to keep his eyes on God no matter what.

I mean, I still can't get over that. I mean, each morning I will sing with joy about your unfailing love. I mean, that sentence alone, really, when you think about what was going on in his life, I mean, God's love is unfailing. And just knowing that, hanging onto that, you know, helps us love him and stay grounded in him, even if everything else really is falling apart.

David Shepherd And it also shows us the importance of consistency. You know, taking that time each morning, each day to intentionally praise God, it's this choice David makes. And not only that, he also chooses his emotion. I will sing with joy, he writes, you know, this is the same thing. He does in Psalm nine, when he says, I will be glad and rejoice in you. So what he's doing is choosing the happiness that God gives. He's, it's like he's saying, I'm gonna get my happiness from God here and nowhere else. I'm choosing God above everything else.

I'm saying, this is just what is going to determine how I am, not my circumstances or situation, just you. Darrell Bock Oh, Lord, we thank you for this inspiration that certainly David had and that you relayed through James today. And we pray that we take a place in our hearts and our minds that we can reflect on when it just seems like there's, that the hope is waning that we'll realize that all our joy really comes back from you and that we can turn both our hearts and emotions back to what would be a delighting in you, that we could wait well with you through difficult situations, even when we're driving. And I pray this in Jesus' name. Amen. You can hear more from Pastor James by visiting his website, jamesbanks.org, or by visiting Peace Church in Durham, North Carolina. May God bless you and encourage you as you pray. This is the Truth Network.