LISTENING AND WAITING ON GOD
The Bible says, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all you ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct your paths” (Proverbs 3:5-6). Wait on the Lord; for at the proper time he will reward you. (Psalm 27:14; Galatians 6:9).
BIBLE EXAMPLES OF NOT LISTENING AND WAITING
KING SAUL. King Saul is an example of what may happens you fail to wait on God. The Lord told the King to wait for God’s prophet Samuel to offer a sacrifice to the Lord before going to war with an enemy of Israel. When Saul saw soldiers deserting, he offered a sacrifice himself. When Samuel arrived, he told Saul he had not kept the command that the Lord God gave him. And because he had not kept God’s command, the Lord had sought a man after his own heart and appointed him to be ruler over God’s people (1 Samuel 13:8-14).
On another occasion the Lord told King Saul to attack an enemy and destroy all of them and all of their possessions. But Saul spared their king and the best animals and property. When the Lord’s Prophet confronted him, Saul claimed he save the best for the Lord. Samuel told him obedience is better than sacrifice. Because Saul did not listen and obey the Lord, he affirmed his rejection of Saul as king. (1 Samuel 15:1-23).
PARABLE OF A FOOL. The Lord said, “one’s life does not consist in the abundance of possessions.” Jesus told a parable about a man who did not listen to what God said. This man focused on accumulating a lot of things of this world (1 John 2:16). He amassed so much that he said I will make more room so I can store it up. Then he said to himself, you have plenty of good things laid up for years—“take it easy.” But God said to him, “you fool! This night your soul is required of you.” And this is how it will be for anyone who stores up for himself and doesn’t listen to God.” (Luke 12:15-21). For what does it profit anyone to gain what the whole world offers and loses his soul (Mark 8:36).
BIBLE EXAMPLES OF LISTENING AND WAITING
DAVID. Although King Saul did not list to God, when David was just a boy God saw him as “a man after his own heart.” The Lord chose David to replace Saul as the king of Israel. (1 Samuel 16:7,13).
In route to becoming king, God enabled him to defeat a Philistine giant enemy of Israel named Goliath. And he defeated many thousand other enemies (1 Samuel 17:45-51; 1 Sam. 18:7).
When David had chances to kill King Saul, whom he would replace as king, David said, “I will not lift my hand against …the Lord’s anointed” (1 Samuel 24:10). David waited for the Lord to install him as King in the Lord’s time (2 Samuel 5:1-3).
JESUS. The Lord listened and waited on the God the Father. God sent Jesus into the world to redeem the world to God by his dying on the cross to atone for mankind’s sins (John 3:16).. However, the devil offered him the world without his dying, if he would bow down and worship Satan. Jesus replied him, “Away from me, Satan! For It is written: worship the Lord your God, and serve him only. (Matthew 4:8-10). Furthermore, Jesus said, “It is written, man shall live “on every word that comes from the mouth of God” (Matthew 4:4). Jesus obeyed God. He died on the cross to redeem mankind to God.
As a result of Jesus listening to and obeying God, the Father has “highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name,that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth,and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Philippians 2:9-11).
I LEARNED TO LISTEN AND WAIT
I am an example of one who learned to listen and wait on the Lord after going astray. In a previous posting–Testifying Of God’s Love And Goodness–I shared about learning to listen and wait on God after going astray from God and my wife. I remembered and did what the Word of God said regarding those who believe in the atonement of his Son: “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9).
After confessing and repenting of my sins, I prayed earnestly for about a year concerning God’s directions about getting back together with my wife. I did not know that during that time my wife was meeting with the pastor who married us about her own problems. However, the pastor convinced her to meet with me for marriage counseling. With the Lord’s help, through grueling counseling sessions, God enabled us to live together again.
Nevertheless, after some heated arguments stemming largely from residuals of my wife’s deep-seated pain, she put my belonging out and changed the locks to our apartment while I was at work. But the Lord persuaded me that loving my wife as Christ love the Church was still the direction I should continue (Ephesians 5:25).
Recognizing my wife was unemployed because of depression, I continued to take care of her financial needs. I called her often and listened to her talk about her different problems, no matter how long she took. I did not argue with her about anything; but listened even when I believed I was right. I did all I could to woo her into loving me again. Through much pain and difficulty the Lord caused our love to grow to the point that it was stronger than when we got married. Before my wife went to be with the Lord, because of terminal cancer, she consoled me a great deal in telling me, “I have always love you.”
In listening to the Lord as I arise each day, he has been giving me daily directions in line with his Word. And he has been enabling me to walk more patiently being guided by his Word.
We should earnestly endeavor to listen to and follow our Savior and Lord Jesus Christ as our perfect example of listening and always doing what pleases God (John 8:29). When we listen and obey our Lord he leads us through life to live with God forever. (Proverbs 3:5-6; John 14:2-3).
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