Be Still

Be still in the presence of the LORD, and wait patiently for him to act. Don’t worry about evil people who prosper or fret about their wicked schemes.

Psalm 37:7

DO YOU EVER have a tough time waiting?

Abraham did. In Genesis 15, God promised Abraham a son. We don’t know how old Abraham was then, but apparently he grew tired of waiting for God’s timing and impregnated his wife’s servant when Abraham was around eighty-six years old. What a mess that turned out to be—especially when his promised son was born fourteen years later! The descendants of Abraham’s two sons are still at war today, at the heart of what we know as the Middle East conflicts.

Anytime we get tired of waiting on God and try to force his hand or make his promises come true in our own timing, we bring trouble on ourselves!

Trouble was nothing new to the writer of today’s verse, King David. He was used to conflict—running for his life from King Saul, battling against enemy countries, even fighting in combat against his own son.

Somewhere along the way, David learned that his life was the smoothest and most successful when he refused to worry and waited patiently for God to act.

Waiting on God and refusing to fret are tough practices to follow. I’m sure David didn’t always find it easy to do so. But we’ll reap God’s blessings when we wait for his timing.