Waiting for Instruction

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Scripture:

Psa. 106:13        But they soon forgot his works;
        they did not wait for his counsel.
14     But they had a wanton craving in the wilderness,
        and put God to the test in the desert;
15     he gave them what they asked,
        but sent a wasting disease among them.

Observation:

God had been revealed as faithful over and over again, constantly supplying the needs of the Israelites. However, for them it was never enough. They were impatient and didn’t want to wait for God’s instruction for their lives. They wanted what they wanted and they wanted it now! They forgot the God of the past and they didn’t want to consult the God of the future. They succumbed to their unsanctified emotions, tiring of the food and becoming frustrated with the leadership God provided. “There comes a point where prayer can become stubborn insistence on our own way and, as an act of just judgment God gives us what we insisted we must have.”  (New Bible Commentary) In this case they are reminded that yes, he gave them food but they were satisfied until they were nauseated! What we think we want may not always be the best thing for us.

Application:

It seems far too easy to forget about the wonderful ways of God. One week we are praising him for his answers to prayer and the next we are wondering whether God is really listening or willing to care for us! We chastise the Israelites and yet there are days when we find ourselves within their very camp.

Learning how to pray takes time and patience, awaiting in God’s holy presence. The more we spend time with him the more we begin to understand his will and how to pray. When we come to him with an insistence on our own plan we need to be careful, because God may just give us what we are insisting upon. The Israelites said they wanted something different to eat and so God gave them meat and they ate until they were sick. Manna from heaven provided them with health and well-being but it didn’t satisfy their selfish desires.

Waiting for instructions from God doesn’t satisfy our selfish desires. Instead, waiting for instructions from God brings about our own transformation. His desires become our desires resulting in instructions that will lead us into his kingdom work where he is already engaged. God is providing the way for us, we are simply to follow. Impatience will lead us to strike off on our own path and suddenly we will find ourselves in selfish territory far from the place where he is already at work. 

Don’t forget what God has done in the past and wait patiently for his leading.

Prayer:

Lord, I want to know your heart. I know I’m not always the most patient, but please, help me to wait upon you.  Amen.

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