Waiting on God

Andrew Murray

Have you read any books by Andrew Murray? If you want something to sink your teeth into, hunt up one or more of his works. He lived from 1828-1917, a Scot whose life work was in South Africa. I just learned that he wrote over 240 books. Well, I haven't even made a dimple in that pile!

However, I've read a few, and they never fail to make me stop and think. You do have to work your way through the 150-year-old language patterns, but it's worth it. I recommend With Christ in the School of Prayer. I'm currently reading Waiting on God.

It's a small book, divided into 31 devotionals. Each one focuses on some aspect of slowing down and waiting to hear from God before we rush headlong into our own plans. There's a timeless message, maybe even more appropriate today than when it was written.

And, even though I sometimes think I am pretty good at waiting for God, of course, the joke is on me. I find that just reading each three or four page lesson where Murray talks about waiting, makes me impatient. I want the words to flow better; I want him to stop saying the same things again just in different ways. Basically, I want God's message to hurry up. I'm the classic "Lord, give me patience, and I want it now!"

Today, I read about the Israelites. They made the same kinds of errors we do. Just after God supplied them with water they didn't wait for him to supply food but began complaining. When Joshua was given Jericho he did not wait to ask God what to do about Ai, but launched an ill-fated campaign against Ai because it seemed an easy victory.

Just because I managed to trust God for something great, recently or long ago, doesn't mean that I can stop doing that and forge ahead under my own power.

The verse for the day was Psalm 106:13- "They soon forgot his works. They waited not for his counsel."