Have you ever noticed how much we allow our decisions to be based on what other people are doing? Now some things should be based on others such as not snapping the ball till the quarterback tells you.

But what about our spiritual life? I thought a few stories from the Bible might illustrate the point. David didn’t wait for his family’s permission to fight Goliath. Mary didn’t check in with Joseph before saying yes to the angel. John the Baptist certainly wasn’t chilling out until Herod gave him a parade permit to hold his meetings and Jesus wouldn’t wait for His disciples to understand before He went to the cross.

Part of our problem is that for the big and eternally important choices in life we wait on every one but God. We ask our friends, family and neighbors what they think about a project but how often have we stayed on our knees waiting on God’s opinion? We boldly sail off to the horizon but end up paddling as fast as we can for home at the first sign of trouble. We lack the courage David speaks of in the second half of the verse because God was not the architect of our planning session. But when we have waited on Jesus He will give us joy for the journey He is sending us on. No matter the storm the hour or the current public opinion, it is always the right time to do His will!

I so loved this simple hymn by Brackin and Lindsay with their boys. It is in that quietness and simplicity that God most often speaks if we will take the time to wait.