I think this Blog makes more sense if you read last week’s Waiting first.
We are remodeling our house. Bit by bit work is accomplished in the left over spaces of our regular lives. Needless to say, it’s taking a long time. From the beginning I knew it would be slow going and by some kind work of God I have been fairly patient. We’re far enough along in the family room to envision the finished project and I’m getting excited. That makes it harder to wait. To avoid impatience and husband nagging, I have to keep shifting my focus from the anticipated finished project back to surrendering to God’s timing. I remind myself that we are busy living our lives and that house beautification is not our number one priority. This bit of self talk helps to settle me down and return me to waiting and trusting that He is doing something right now, while the project trickles forward, that is more important than having a lovely new family room.
Understanding the desires of our own hearts is an essential step on our way to the life we are made for. These desires must be turned over to God with regularity for His wisdom and timing. For when we gaze too long at a desired thing, anything other than God, we can, and do, develop an attachment that can enslave us. If we continue to focus on this desire it can grow to an obsession or compulsion and from there, an addiction. It is a process that creeps up on us, understood and recognized once we are in too deep. The enslavement happens when we gaze (with eyes, mind or heart) so often and for so long, that the desire feels essential for life. And when something feels essential for life, we will go to great lengths, often foolishly, to get what we want.
This is where waiting on the Lord comes in. When we seek God’s timing, we are saying, “You know when the best time for me to have ________________ is, so that’s when I want it.” Fill in the blank however you like: a new home, a baby, a best friend, a better job, a chance to travel, reconciliation for a broken relationship, health and healing. While we are waiting, God will, if we let Him, chip away at false hopes that will not satisfy, clarifying and purifying our understanding of what will bring about life.
In Matthew 6:25-34, Jesus talks about how our Heavenly Father sees and cares for our needs. Our job is to first seek Him and His kingdom. And that is not a job most of us do naturally. We have to keep practicing putting God first, while trusting He sees and cares for our needs and our wants. Day after day we remind ourselves of His goodness and faithfulness. We grow into a rich faith and hope slowly and most of that growth takes place during the delays. It is at this time that we have a choice. We can kick and scream, pout and complain, fret and worry during the wait and gain nothing but discontent and an abiding doubt regarding God. Or we can seek His purposes for the delay and even ask that the inadequacy of our foolish attachments and superficial affections be revealed. Then we can, with His strength, turn from them to God, which frees our hearts to be more fully engaged with Him and His kingdom. This is when true joy and contentment can begin to reside in our hearts.