Waiting?
I said in my blurb that now puzzles me, and so it does. And I chaff against the seeming inactivity in some spheres in life. But, I was flicking through an old printed "omer of manna" (actually it's a diary with "the deeply unfortunate doings of an ill-fated life" printed on the front cover - must have appealed to me at the time I bought it) and I found this, which I copied out of "The Path of Loneliness" by Elisabeth Elliot. It is an omer of manna:-
True waiting on God is not "doing nothing". Psalm 37 lists the principle elements of this hidden activity, a perfect formula for peace of mind:
Trust in the Lord and do good.
Dwell in the land (make your home, settle down, be at peace where God puts you).
Delight in the Lord (make the Lord your only joy) and He will give you what your heart desires.
Commit your life to the Lord.
Trust in Him and He will act.
Be quiet before the Lord.
Wait patiently for Him.
Waiting patiently is almost impossible unless we also are learning at the same time to find joy in the Lord, commit everything to Him, trust Him, and be quiet ... If the shepherd leads us beside still waters when we were hoping for "white water" excitement, it is hard to believe anything really vital is taking place. God is silent. The house is silent. The phone doesn’t ring. The mailbox is empty. The stillness is hard to bear – and God knows that. He knows our frame and remembers we are made of dust. He is very patient with us when we are trying to be patient with Him. Of course for most of us the test of waiting does not take place in a silent and empty house, but in the course of regular work and appointments and taxpaying and grocery buying and trying to get the car fixed and the storm windows up; daily decisions have to go on being made, responsibilities fulfilled, families provided for, employers satisfied. How can we speak of waiting on God in the middle of all that? How be still?
... Waiting on God is an act of faith – the greatest thing ever required of humans. Not faith in the outcome we are dictating to God, but faith in His character, faith in Himself. It is resting in the perfect confidence that He will guide in the right way, at the right time. He will supply our need. He will fulfil His word. He will give us the very best if we trust Him.