“Therefore let us [with privilege] approach the throne of grace [that is, the throne of God’s gracious favor] with confidence and without fear, so that we may receive mercy [for our failures] and find [His amazing] grace to help in time of need [an appropriate blessing, coming just at the right moment].” Hebrews 4:16 AMP

One of my favorite things to do is comb the edge of the ocean looking for shells to add to my ever growing collection. My nephew is particularly successful in finding the best shells because he isn’t afraid to seek patiently in the tide pools, or to delve head first underwater and search with his fingers beneath the ocean floor. He knows the shells are there, and he trusts that he will find them. And so he does.

I have three shells he has found that I always keep out where I can see them… one from an early morning walk we took together to watch the sun come up, one from my rather casual wedding “reception” on the beach where my husband and I eloped, and one he pulled out of a barnacle on some rocks he likes to climb. Each shell keeps me mindful of something different, which is why I keep all three where they are often seen.

As human beings, we often feel pressure to take action. When we begin to feel that we need to start finding answers to questions and situations that aren’t even in front of us yet, we are trying to do God’s job for Him, feeling more confident in our interpretation of what we see than in His capacity to look well beyond our human sight. In this new culture where we get what we want as soon as possible, we are losing our capability to wait gracefully. There are times when we may feel as though we have been waiting forever, and we start to wonder how long we are supposed to wait. This is the crack the enemy waits for to try and push us down the wrong path.

Let’s consider a very familiar biblical story…God promised Abraham that he would father generations, and Abraham maintained his faith in that promise for decades. That doesn’t mean he didn’t get frustrated or beg God to move things along. Abraham’s wife, Sarah, could see her husband’s heartache and frustration, and that is when the enemy pounced. Sarah and Abraham allowed themselves to give in to their impatience and take matters into their own hands. Thus Abraham had a son by his wife’s maid servant. As with any situation we take out of God’s hands and into our own, things went terribly wrong, ultimately forcing Abraham to send his son into exile to appease Sarah in all her self-inflicted jealousy.

While you may be feeling as though you are having to wait too long for the fulfillment of God’s promises, is that really your call to make? Any blessing God is bringing our way will be worth waiting our entire human lifetime to receive. One thing is never to be doubted…that waiting will serve a purpose, a very necessary purpose. No, you shouldn’t allow yourself to be a doormat in the waiting process, but if your desire to take action and force movement comes from your own impatience, spend a lot of time talking things over with God before you do anything. More often than we are aware, the choice to NOT act, is action in and of itself.

The training that military snipers go through is intense, especially when it comes to the art of waiting. Not only do they need to remain hyper-alert and focused on situational awareness, but they must learn to be comfortable in the silence and stillness. They must be vigilant in the center of that stillness, waiting on even the most subtle change in the atmosphere, so when the moment for true action arrives, they are able to recognize it and take advantage of it. The same holds true for any Christian who is sincerely wanting to live a life surrendered to the will of God.

We must be able to wait, to watch, to listen, and to discern the need for action vs. inaction. We need to learn how to unplug from technology and spend time with God, and also with those we love. Along with our ingrained sense of impatience, our ability to remain constantly accessible becomes an escape of sorts. We all spend a lot of time on various devices for a wide variety of reasons, but we all need to learn how to spend time WITHOUT being half focused on what’s coming through our devices. It’s part of how we can learn patience and how we can learn to be still. For example, when my husband and I go to dinner, we make a point of setting our phones aside, face down, and giving the other our full attention. One of my favorite things to do, and also one of my greatest blessings, is to walk along the beach with my sister, looking for shells and talking. As we walk and talk, it seems the rest of the world fades away, and the noise of everyday life is replaced by the sound of our voices alongside the sound of small waves hitting the shore.

These are the gifts God gives us when we trust Him and choose peace over distraction. His timing is PERFECT, and He will never steer us down the wrong path. When we feel fear and anxiety, and make decisions based on those feelings, we are being led by the enemy. God brings peace and comfort. When you are with someone, and you feel peaceful in their presence, happy in their company, then we are where God has planted us. Satan doesn’t achieve his goals through love. He achieves them through fear, uncertainty, and intimidation. Trust God…trust His timing…trust the love He brings to your life. God never makes mistakes, even when we do.