Waiting

Psalm 27:14
Wait patiently for the Lord. Be brave and courageous. Yes, wait patiently for the Lord.

Do you drive life?
Or does life drive you?
In other words, are you proactive in your daily routine: always looking ahead and making your decisions before you get in trouble? Decisions that will aid you in staying clean and sober. Or do you simply let yourself be tossed about by the situations and circumstances that come your way?

For most, we live our lives in a reactive manner. Simply going with the flow, never mind that the flow is taking us farther and farther out to sea. Never mind that we refuse to deal with problems, thinking that if we don't think about them they will go away which is usually not the case.

Here's a statement that I have had to learn in my own personal life. There is power in waiting when you are waiting on the Lord. There is a power that comes to you when you refuse to act on what you feel or think, but rather choose to exist in a state of prayer.
Waiting and prayer seem to go hand in hand. But such has to be born out of a faith that communicates the simple fact that God is in control, and that God is faithful to watch over us and direct us.

Addiction does just the opposite of this view of God. Addiction never tells us to wait. It is always dropping the gear shift down into high, pressing the accelerator as hard as it can, and moving us into the fast lane. No waiting when it comes to addiction. With each time of using, we move farther and faster away from hearing God. It's bad enough that we live in a culture and society that demands faster and instantaneous decisions and action. Throw on this fire the life that is filled with darkness and you have a dangerous combination.

Some have noticed the time of day that I post the Greene Street Letters, and on more than one occasion have been asked, "Why do you get up so early?" I like this time of morning. I like the quietness of our home, and it is the perfect time to be with God before I go out that door to face the day. A time to sit and wait. A time to listen and hear what is on God's heart for me this day. I like the idea that when I get up my mind is clear and quiet. I haven't yet allowed the day to infiltrate my thoughts.

In the verse from Psalm 27 we are told to wait patiently two times. Must be something important about this action if King David wrote about it twice. But there sandwiched between the two mentions of waiting is the foundation that holds them together....
Be Strong And Courageous. Not strong in your own ability, talent or strength, but rather in His (God) strength. How many times have you heard that Step #1 is the foundation for the rest of the Twelve Steps? The admission of powerlessness is the very heart of following this God. Because, as the Apostle Paul wrote, "His strength is made perfect in my weakness." Is that a comfort or what? We don't have to fight our battles in our own strength, but can rely on God...........if we wait. Might be worth giving it a try, what do you think?

God on you...
mbb