“Sit still, my daughter, until you know how the matter will turn out; for the man will not rest until he has concluded the matter this day.”  Ruth 3:18

 In our small group, we read about the “fruits of the Spirit” in Galatians 5:22-23 and we were to think about which one was the most challenging for us personally.  I immediately spoke up and acknowledged mine was, hands down, Patience.  After that, it seemed God bombarded me in my quiet time with verses containing the words, “wait,” “sit still,” “wait for the Lord,” “my soul waits,” “be still before the Lord” and wait, wait, wait!

We live in such a “hurry up” society!  We get impatient waiting in long lines at the check-out, while other lines move quickly ours is stuck behind a slow cashier!  And how about those stop lights that don’t change?  Have you ever been frustrated behind a slow driver when you’re in a hurry?  You have places to go and things to do and you can’t move forward!  I have realized over the years God is trying to teach me patience and I am a reluctant learner.  In our verse, Naomi instructs Ruth to “sit still” and sitting implies rest.  Ruth was to rest and trust God for the outcome.

Your Heavenly Father wants you, His child, to sit still amid the impossibilities around you, the tasks before you or the devastating circumstances you find yourself in.  If you are distressed over unsaved family members, a child who has wandered from the faith, or hopes unfulfilled, the Lord wants you to sit still.  Our Father “will not rest until He has concluded the matter.”

While we are waiting, God is working!  He has His own timetable.  Some illustrations of delay in the Bible are the examples of Noah, Abraham and Sarah, Moses, Joseph, Hannah, David to mention a few.  As you wait, don’t take matters into your own hands, step outside of God’s plan and try to “fix” it yourself.  When God is silent, He is not still!  He controls the clock!  Don’t complain and ask, “How long?”  Obey Him as you wait and use that time to worship him.

Several things are happening while you wait.  God is doing something bigger than you!  Sometimes He puts us through negative situations, things go wrong.  God uses U-turns and detours, sometimes we go backward before we go forward.  He is trying to develop us as a person to bring glory to Himself.  God “tests” us as we wait, everything we learn along the way prepares us for what He will accomplish in the future.

God is in control of all your circumstances.  He is the sovereign God.  We can’t figure Him out, His ways are so far above ours!  “Those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.” Isaiah 40:31.  He will renew our strength while we wait.  He spreads His wings over us and under us, He lifts us up.  He runs alongside us cheering us on when we grow weary.  He sends the family of God to walk along with us when we grow faint.  He created the Church so we don’t have to walk alone.

Waiting can be a frustrating experience, but He controls the clock and He is never still!  He is always at work around us!  Be still, my child!

Your friend, Jean