“#10 Are You Waiting Out Of Fear Or Trust?”
So, have you ever been in a situation where you were unsure what the right answer would be? Maybe you were offered a job somewhere and you aren’t sure whether you should take it? Maybe you were just presented with a situation and are unsure what the right choice is? Whatever the situation, everybody has had those moments. Now, as a Christian, one of our top priorities should be to stay in God’s will for our life. So, we ask God, “What should I do? I don’t want to step outside your will.” And we wait, and wait, and wait, hoping to hear that definitive yes or no. Now, while staying in His will is a valid reason for waiting on a response, I admit that it hasn’t always been mine, even when I’ve said it was.
One of the reasons that waiting on God’s answer can be easy for me, sometimes, is because it puts me in this mindset of, “If it’s meant to be, God will make it happen.” That can be true, but there is something to be said about the role that fear can play as well. See, there are some decisions in life that can be very scary, especially ones that deal with emotions. Matter of fact, one of the noteworthy places that the whole idea of waiting on God comes in the form of dating. We wait on the “right” person who has a dove on their shoulder signaling God’s divine blessing. That’s easy to do. The hard part, however, is coming to the real reason some of us adopt this waiting idea. Bringing this back to me, sometimes, my reason for relying on this so heavily is because I’m terrified of taking a step. By waiting, I’ve put all expectations on God, allowing him to drive my car wherever he wants to take me. That’s all fine and dandy, but my true motive is, “I’m so afraid to do this so I’ll wait for God to make it happen.” He absolutely can make anything happen, but there are moments when he waits for us to take the first step. There’s a man, in the bible, who ran into a similar problem with fear.
In Exodus 4, we read about a man named Moses. Originally a prince of Egypt, one decision led him to not only flee from Egypt but also to stay in the wilderness for 40 years before having an encounter with the Lord, via the burning bush. He wanted Moses to tell Pharaoh to let His people go. Verse after verse, Moses comes up with reasons for why he’s incapable of completing this task. His reasons range from the Israelites not believing him to his lack of speaking ability. Eventually, God tells him that Aaron (Moses’ brother) will speak to the people and he (Moses) will take the staff to perform the signs for Pharaoh.
So, let’s get this straight, God laid out the plan He had for Moses straight to his face! “I want YOU to go to Pharaoh and do these things! Oh, and by the way, I’ll tell you what to do and how to do it!” Moses still wasn’t about it! Matter of fact, he asked God to send somebody else! Now, I emphasize this not to call out Moses’ fear. Instead, I want to bring to light how he struggled with making a choice, even after God revealed the answer. He didn’t feel worthy and he was probably afraid to return to the land from which he ran. Even in his fear, though, he decided to make a choice and go back to Egypt. This, eventually, led to the emancipation of the Israelites. God wants us to live and learn as we walk through life. He’ll give us opportunities to make choices, even if we don’t know the immediate outcome. This, my friends, is part of faith and trust. Being unsure of the consequences but willing to make the choice. It can be painful to contemplate everything that could go wrong with making a choice and it won’t always be easy. However, if Moses’ story teaches us anything, it’s that God always has a plan in store for us and he has the solutions to our uncertainty. Hey, if Moses was willing to return to the place of his fears, we can confront ours with God. Step out of your comfort zone this week and watch God work in your life!
This week’s Scripture Reference: Exodus 3-4
May God bless you all this week!
