My Bit, God's Bit

I pray to God —my life a prayer— and wait for what he’ll say and do. Psalm 130:5‭ MSG

As I walk through this life, fundamental questions require answers. The answers I seek or receive will always determine gherkin quality, direction and eventual destination of my life. I look at the extract today and a few important things come to mind.

Firstly, what I do NOW will determine what I get later. At no time does God release everything I need for life all at once. As I grow both physically and spiritually, there are provisions that are meant for particular seasons. There is no guarantee that those things will come at the time, which is why I must make prayer my daily habit. The Psalmist says: 'I pray to God, my life a prayer'. Until I see prayer as a function of relationship, not just a means to getting what I want, I may not realise the full potential of all that God intends for me.

Secondly, as I pray, I wait for him to act and to reply. We get confused with this bit of prayer, and some people say God will not do for you what he expects you to do for yourself. I agree, to the extent that what I do is what he has asked me to do, not what I think is best, or an attempt to 'speed up' the process. We kneel down to pray, committing our cares and worries into God's hand, and then we get up again and lift those same burdens on our shoulders. We don't doubt his power, but we also can't fully relax and trust his leading and direction. Who are we deceiving? Is there really anything I can do to speed up the divine process of God's plan and purpose?

Thirdly, waiting is not inactivity. Yes, whatever he asks me to do is what I get busy at. Like the people of Israel, all they had to do was to move forward into the Red Sea. At the time, it didn't make sense, but then, God's way isn't to make sense, but to make history. At other times, the battle was won long before the Israeli test woke up, like it happened with Sennacherib, King of Assyria, recorded in Isaiah 37:36: Then the angel of the Lord went forth, and smote in the camp of the Assyrians a hundred and fourscore and five thousand: and when they arose early in the morning, behold, they were all dead corpses. For Joseph, all attempts to get out of prison failed, even from someone he had helped 3 days before. When you are dealing with God, you cannot argue from a position of strength. You have got to trust that God knows what he is doing and whatever he says or allows or does will ultimately work out his perfect purpose for you.

As always, there is a choice to be made: to trust completely, or to strive in your power. Both will have results, you just cannot guarantee what your labour will get you. Trust God totally, and let him work that which is perfect. His time of favour is here.