Please understand that this actually isn’t a choice that I make. Nor is it a lack of patience. Rather it seems to have emerged as a new symptom of my failing cognition. 

Take last night for example. My wife was leading a discussion with a small group on grief recovery. It was serious stuff, and even as it went on and on, my heart knew that these people needed to express their emotions. Yes, my heart was right on board. My body? Not so much! After 45 minutes, my muscles began twitching and I started to feel pins and needles running through my body. I couldn’t help myself! I stood up! I knew it wasn’t the right thing to do, and in the end, my wife had to cut the meeting short. My body rejoiced. But in my mind, I felt a bit guilty …

Then take Monday evening, as another example. I am fortunate to be able to take therapeutic horseback riding lessons. The same farm offers regular horseback riding lessons, and since riding is one of my wife’s remaining joys, we have agreed that she will take lessons as well. That means, however, that while she has her lesson, there is nothing for me to do but watch. And the way my mind likes to wander, about 10 minutes into her lesson I don’t even seem to remember that it is her I am watching! Everyone tells me to stay and watch, and my mind knows that’s what I should be doing. But again, my body begins to twitch, those pins and needles begin running through my body, and I wander off. Of course, this is a distraction to my wife, and her lesson has to be paused, and sometimes cut short. Again, my body rejoices. But in my mind, I feel guilty …

I could go on, but what I want to go on record as saying is that I wish it weren’t this way. I want mywife to have her riding lessons, and I really want those people in the grief recovery class to begin to heal. But I just can’t control this muscle impatience!

The Bible speaks a lot about being still and waiting. Take this one, for example: “Be still and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations. I will be exalted in the Earth.” (Psalms 46:10 NIV) In other words, we can’t recognize the hand of God without being still. We cannot see that what is happening will exalt God among the nations without taking the time to connect with Him in stillness. 

What about this one? “But those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength.” (Is. 40:31 NKJV). If we want to be renewed, we need to wait! 

1 Samuel 12:16 tells us, “Now then, stand still and see this great thing the Lord is about to do before your eyes!” (NIV). If we want to see the great things the Lord is doing, we have to … be still!

Then there’s Exodus 14:14: “The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.” (NIV) This one is pretty clear! If we want God to fight for us, we need to … be still!

There are many more example, but suffice with one more: “Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him.” (Psalms 37:7 NIV)

This last verse sums up what it means to “be still”… It means to wait … Patiently! 

It has been my experience that this requires more than just wanting to be still before God. So often I am determined to “be still” and hear what God will say to me. But two minutes later, my mind begins racing, trying to work out a problem, rehearsing what I will say, etc. And before long my muscles begin to twitch and the pins and needles begin running through my limbs. You guessed it: Within another minute or two, I would leave my prayer closet! 

I think you can all relate. The point I want to make here is this: Just like I WANT to wait patiently while my wife does the things she needs and wants to do, I just … CAN’T! My body takes over and I no longer can wait patiently! I would suggest that waiting upon the Lord may not be something that we can just “decide” to do either! Of course, we have to decide we want to, or there is no hope. But once we’ve made that all-important decision, it will still be hard to do. Our human pre-programming WILL get in the way! We are, after all, programmed to “do” something. To “fix” problems. To “pursue” what we don’t have… 

Fortunately the solution is easier than then one for me waiting for my wife. The solution lies quite simply in giving the patience problem to God. We can fervently pray that God will help us wait patiently, that He will put the extra bit of faith in our hearts, that He will give us the desire to do nothing but seek Him, that He will stop our minds from trying to work out the problems, and instead, that we will keep giving it back to Him.

And that is a prayer He loves to answer! 

Having trouble waiting upon the Lord? Ask Him for the spiritual patience you need! Hey, maybe I need to give God my physical inability to be patient waiting for my wife as well!

Inspired by Rob Chaffart
Director, Answers2Prayer Ministries