Patiently Waiting on God versus Taking Initiative in the Flesh

One of the dilemmas the patriarch Abraham had to balance was the matter of his patiently waiting on God versus taking initiative in a fleshly manner to make things happen. Since taking initiative should not always be considered a fleshly response, how can someone know whether it's right to move ahead and make something happen (seemingly on their own initiative) or simply to continue patiently waiting on God?

The best way to answer the question is to zero in on a cluster of practices and spiritual disciplines consistent with patiently waiting on God. Here they are:

1. Praying to ask God for wisdom, direction, help, and His examination of your heart. This is Proverbs 3:5-6 combined with Psalm 139:23-24.

2. Applying any relevant commands and principles from God's Word.This operationalizes the truth that God has already made His will known on so many matters in life. "Patiently waiting on God" therefore may just be a matter of discovering in God's Word what He has already said about the decision or kind of decision that lies before you. This principle also underscores the foolishness of someone asking God for peace to do something that is an obvious violation of some biblical command or principle.

3. Confessing and forsaking any known sin. Throughout the Scriptures, God called on His people to consecrate themselves to the Lord prior to His entrusting them with what came next for them. Note, for example, Joshua 3:5 in its context.

4. Doing what you already know to be the will of God. No one can expect to make good decisions about God's will for the future if he is responding to the known will of God for the present with disobedience. There are numerous examples in Scripture of how disobedience tends to lead toward more disobedience, which leads toward even more disobedience, and on and on (see Romans 1). Good decisions about what comes next are built on a foundation of good decisions for the Lord in the here and now.

5. Seeking godly counsel and accountability for both plans and motives. See Proverbs 11:14. Don't miss the importance of including "motives" as a talking point for one's interaction with godly counselors. Proverbs 16:25 specifically warns against the dangers of trusting your own evaluation of your motives, plans, and actions.

6. Experiencing peace from God. Philippians 4:7 speaks of the peace from God that "garrisons" our hearts and minds. If everything else on this list is in place and we have peace from God, that is a great sign that God is directing our steps. If everything else on this list is in place and we do not have peace, it may just be that God is asking us to continue waiting (and to continue implementing items 1-5). Even if we have already done items 1-5, God doesn't always work according to our timetable.