Waiting on God.

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As we patiently seek God's direction, I am sure that along the way we find the richest blessings.

Do not fret because of evildoers,
Nor be envious of those who do iniquity.
2 For they will soon be cut down like grass,
And wither like green herbs.
3 Trust in the Lord, and do good;
And you will dwell in the land and feed on truth.
4 Delight yourself also in the Lord,
And He will give you the desires of your heart.
5 Commit your way to the Lord,
And trust in Him, and He will do it.
6 He will make your righteousness appear like the light,
And your justice like the noonday.
7 Be still before the Lord, and wait for Him.
Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way,
Because of a man who does evil. 8 Leave anger and forsake wrath;
Do not be stirred to do wicked things.
9 For evildoers will be destroyed,
But those who wait for the Lord will inherit the land.

Psalm 37:1-9

If we have to talk about some of the most important disciplines from a spiritual perspective, we can put patience or waiting on God first; it is very important in our daily walk of faith. David is a great example as he teaches us the great value of following the Lord's plan and also warns us of the danger we can face by getting ahead of His plans.

In David's early days as a shepherd, he was anointed by the prophet Samuel as the next king of Israel. But he did not become ruler of Israel immediately; he did so many years later. To do so, he waited on the Lord, and the entire time of waiting was not easy, since the king at that time was Saul, who turned against David and even tried to take his life. David had the opportunity, and I'm sure he could have emerged triumphant if he had decided to take that matter into his own hands, but David simply waited on God, and that brought him blessing.

When Saul returned from pursuing the Philistines, they told him, "Look, David is in the Wilderness of En Gedi." 2 So Saul took three thousand chosen men from all Israel and went to seek David and his men on the tops of the rocks of the wild goats. 3 When he came to a sheepfold by the road, where there was a cave, Saul went into it to cover his feet. David and his men were sitting in the corners of the cave. 4 Then David's men said to him, "This is the day of which the Lord spoke to you: 'Behold, I will deliver your enemy into your hand, and you shall do to him as you see fit.'" So David arose and quietly cut off the hem of Saul's robe. 5 After this, David's heart was troubled because he had cut off the hem of Saul's robe. 6 And he said to his men, "The Lord forbid that I should do such a thing to my lord, the Lord's Anointed, that I should stretch out my hand against him, for he is the Lord's Anointed." 7 So David repressed his men with words and did not allow them to rise up against Saul. So Saul left the cave and went on his way.

1 Samuel 24:1-7

For years later, David made the decision not to join in battle; this meant neglecting his duty as king. And during his absence from the war, he simply lusted after a woman, Bathsheba, and not only that, he also impregnated her, but all of this prompted David to try to cover up his sin. This meant setting aside God's plan and being blessed by experiencing the painful consequences of his God-permitted actions.

This often happens to us too. As believers, we want to obey God, but there are situations in which we simply move forward according to our own judgment without waiting for His direction. All of this teaches us that we must seek God's plan first before moving forward or before acting.