I have always done better work when I set the timer. I am not sure everyone is like that, but I sure am. I work better under pressure. In many areas of life, this works very well, but not always.
I was at a conference this passed weekend. It was great, but the sessions, while very helpful and informative, were really long. I don't do well sitting for that length of time. My brain seems to slow down a lot.
I discovered this massive church has an amazing prayer room. The topic that we were learning about was Listening to God. That is an important topic no doubt. There is always more to learn. My brain was done with the learning thing for awhile. So, I thought I would go to the prayer room and do some of this listening prayer stuff.
I read the Bible for a little while and then started to listen. I asked God how He thought I was doing in the listening department of my walk with Him. Do you know what I felt He said to me?
"Donna, you have Me on a timer and that timer does not even have 60 seconds on it. I have to make sure I say something to you in the first few seconds or you are gone. Please increase your timer".
Wow! I could not even argue. There are many scriptures that read, "I waited patiently for the Lord and He..." God calls all of us to wait patiently for Him. That is not easily done in a day when we have faster internet, phones, cars, and many other things. Yet, the value of waiting patiently for God has not changed. It isn't the patient waiting He restores us, speaks to us, and soothes our soul.
It is a concious decision to be more patient in my waiting on God. That likely does not sound very spirtual, but that is what I have decided. So, that has been my practise this week. I cannot say He has spoken clearly each time, but my soul does seem to have greater rest. He is giving me wisdom to navigate some difficult paths ahead of me.
There is alot of valuable fruit that is brought forward in the simplicity of patiently waiting. So, do you have God on a timer? He loves you and wants to meet you and I, but He does ask us to wait patiently. May He help us be better waiters!