Waiting tries our independent spirit to the max. Anytime we act independent of God, we are acting in our flesh. All actions are preceded by thoughts. Psalm 27:14 says, “Wait on the Lord; be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart; wait, I say, on the Lord.” There is a great example for us in 2 Samuel 6:1-8. 

Years ago this section became very alive for me. I was the secretary for our church at the time we were in a church split. We were praying before we began our work day. As I was praying, I felt this in my spirit: do not stretch out your hand to steady what I am shaking. That lesson has remained with me.

God had a prescribed way that the ark was to be carried. When David attempted to bring the ark back, they put it on a new cart. When the oxen stumbled, Uzzah put his hand out to steady the ark. God struck him dead. You can read it all for yourself. God’s way was for the priests to bear the ark on their shoulders with poles.

God’s ways are far higher than our ways. When we seek to do something in our own way, He will shake it. You might look back in your life and remember times when you attempted to do something independent of the Lord. It didn’t turn out well. How many times does He oppose our way, yet we keep pressing through?

Balaam is another example. The Lord told him not to go and he went. Numbers 22:22 says that the Angel of the Lord stood against him as an adversary. Verse 32 says, “…Behold, I have come out to stand against you, because your way is perverse before me.” Proverbs 11:3 says, “The integrity of the upright will guide them, but the perversity of the unfaithful will destroy them.”

Perverse means to be contrary. 1 Peter 3:9 says, “Not returning evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary blessing, knowing that you were called to this, that you may inherit a blessing.” The path of the obedient is strewn with grace, blessing, and favor. The path of the disobedient? Proverbs 13:15 Amplified says, “…the way of the transgressor is hard (like the barren, dry soil or the impassable swamp).”

Are you stuck in the quagmire of your own making? That is what happens when we act independently of God. 2 Peter 1:9 is the fruit of not doing what God has said to do. In this case it is to add to our faith. It says, “For he who lacks these things is shortsighted, even to blindness, and has forgotten that he was cleansed from his old sins.”

We forget that we are not our own. 1 Corinthians 6:20 says, “For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.” God’s way for us is clearly outlined in His word. John 15:5 clearly states a truth that should govern our heart. It says, “…for without Me you can do nothing.” Let that be a banner over our lives, especially when the Lord tells us to wait. Waiting His way is heart-dependence.

In 2018 I had a fraudulent charge on my credit card. It was my error. I was working on my computer and this notice came across my screen that I needed to immediately call Apple (I have a MAC). I didn’t know how to get the notice off my screen so I called. I have many times shared my screen with Apple because it is easier than having them try to explain something to me. I’m a visual learner.

I should have… Ever had ‘should have’s’ in your life? I didn’t realize what was happening until I got a phone call later in the evening asking for my credit card. Long story short. The Lord reminded me of all this when I woke up the next morning. I went into my bank account and could not get in. They had changed my sign in, but had not yet figured out my password. The bank stepped in and stopped the whole thing.

Had I immediately inquired of the Holy Spirit when my screen was blocked out, it would have saved me a lot of hassle. Every time we encounter a new obstacle in our path, we need to stop and ask the Holy Spirit what to do.

We can take another lesson from the life of David. I love this passage in 2 Samuel 5:17-25. Two exact same scenes, yet David specifically inquired of the Lord for each. It is far too easy to fall back on some way that the Lord delivered us before. His mercies are new every morning. Every situation we encounter has His unique way of deliverance. That is where trust comes in.

Proverbs 3:5 says, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding.” David listened and then did exactly as the Lord instructed. That is what brought the breakthrough in the battle with the Philistines (which speak of our flesh).

Our flesh is what causes us to veer off the path the Holy Spirit is leading us on. We ‘think’ that we know what to do. Psalm 23:3 says, “…He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake.” That path of righteousness is working God’s will and ways into our thought processes which then affects how we walk.

2 Samuel 5:18 says that the Philistines had deployed themselves. David asked the Lord if he should go up against them. The Lord told him to and that He would deliver them. There was a great breakthrough. David named the place Baal Perazim. He said in verse 20, “…The Lord has broken through my enemies before me, like a breakthrough of water…”

In verse 22 the Philistines again deployed themselves. Same scene, but David stopped and inquired of the Lord. This time his instructions were totally different. Verses 23-24 are my ‘go to’ verses. It says, “…You shall not go up, circle around behind them, and come upon them in front of the mulberry trees. And it shall be when you hear the sound of marching in the tops of the mulberry trees, then you shall advance quickly…” Waiting is a trial that reveals any hidden flesh.

When we don’t wait, we veer off God’s chosen path. Verse 24 continued…”For then the Lord will go out before you to strike the camp of the Philistines.” When we wait for the Holy Spirit to lead us in our battle to recover all, He will then expose our fleshly stronghold so that we can defeat and destroy it.

We are never to go out without Him leading us. That only causes us to act independently and sin. We cannot walk in the dark. We are children of light. The Holy Spirit leads us into the light that illuminates what has been hidden. Only He knows where and what. 

Waiting, watching, listening for the sound to advance. Not moving until the Lord says to move tries our faith. Will we continue to wait? Saul didn’t wait and he lost his kingdom. We will forfeit the moment of opportunity that the Lord has set up if we are not attentive. Years ago my pastor wrote me a little note: seize the opportunity in the moment of the opportunity. 

What has been stolen from you? What have you lost that you once had? How has the enemy of your soul pilfered your goods? Years ago we used to sing: I went to the enemy’s camp and I took back what he stole from me…

David and his men had their wives, their children, and all their livestock stolen. Their city was burned. Every time I read this story in 1 Samuel 30, I picture the scene like this. David and his 600 men were coming back from Gath. They were exhausted.

As they crested the hill and looked down on Ziklag, how did they emotionally process what they saw? Verse 4 says, “Then David and the people who were with him lifted up their voices and wept, until they had no more power to weep.”

Verse 6 says, “Now David was greatly distressed, for the people spoke of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was grieved, every man for his sons and his daughters…” What? Stoning him? How did David respond? The verse goes on to say, “…But David strengthened himself in the Lord his God.”

David leaned hard on the Lord. He asked the Lord very specifically what he should do. Verse 8  says, “So David inquired of the Lord, saying, Shall I pursue this troop? Shall I overtake them? And He answered him, Pursue, for you shall surely overtake them and without fail recover all.” 

Verse 19 says, “…David recovered all.” Wow! Recover all. That is the Lord’s promise to us as well. When we arm ourselves with the smooth stone-verses needed to fell our giant, we have promises in His word to lean on. Think back to the life of Job. After he obeyed the Lord in praying for his ‘friends’ the Lord restored his losses.

God’s word is backed by His faithfulness. Isaiah 55:11 says that His word cannot fail. It will not return to Him void. Titus 1:2 says that God cannot lie. 2 Timothy 2:13 says that God cannot deny Himself. John 3:34 says that God does not give His Spirit by measure.

John 10:10 brings it all into God’s perspective. It says, “The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.” We were never called to be in want or to lack anything needed to run our race of faith.

2 Peter 1:3 says, “As His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue.” ALL things. The condition is met through our relationship with the Lord. The more time we spend communing with Him, gazing at Him, the more we come to know His ways.

1 John 5:3 says, “For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome.” The law was a burden that no one could carry. Jesus came to fulfill the law. Romans 6:14 says, “For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace.”

To keep His word, is to obey Him in all His ways. Our progressive sanctification is a path of obedience. As we allow the Holy Spirit to lead us, He will always lead us into truth. Things were stolen from us, when we veered off the path He had us on. 2 Timothy 2:25-26 says, “…if God perhaps will grant them repentance, so that they know the truth, and that they may come to their senses and escape the snare of the devil, having been taken captive by him to do his will.”

Captivity to satan makes us spiritually weak. That was his whole point. He wanted to capture us so that he could destroy our faith. Isaiah 5:13 and Hosea 4:6 point the finger at our lack of knowledge. In order to strengthen our faith, we have to know the Lord and His ways. He strengthens our faith through our trials. He uses them to expose and remove the dross that was hidden by satan to undermine our faith. Do you, like David, know how to strengthen yourself in the Lord when attacked by the enemy?

Twice, it seemed, that the Lord had set it up for David to kill Saul. Both stories are intriguing. 1 Samuel 24:2 says that Saul had 3,000 men. Verse 3 says that Saul, “…came to the sheepfolds by the road, where there was a cave; and Saul went in to attend to his needs. (David and his men were staying in the recess of the cave.)”

David’s men felt that it was a perfect set up. They urged David to kill Saul. David secretly cut off a corner of Saul’s robe. Verse 5 says, “Now it happened afterward that David’s heart troubled him because he had cut Saul’s robe.”

Listen to David’s honor of God’s word. Verse 6 says, “…The Lord forbid that I should do this thing to my master, the Lord’s anointed, to stretch out my hand against him, seeing he is the anointed of the Lord.”

Watch this next time. Saul was asleep and his men were asleep around him. 1 Samuel 26:12 says, “…For they were all asleep, because a deep sleep from the Lord had fallen on them.” David and Abishai crept up to them unnoticed. In verse 8 Abishai said to David, “..God has delivered your enemy into your hand…”

In verse 9 David told Abishai to not strike the king, “…Do not destroy him; for who can stretch out his hand against the Lord’s anointed, and be guiltless?” David instructed Abishai to take the spear and jug of water.

David was honoring God’s word by obeying it. Psalm 105:15 says, “…Do not touch My anointed ones, and do My prophets no harm.” David understood that God had given him the kingdom, but it would be in God’s impeccable timing. 1 Samuel 26:10 says, “…As the Lord lives, the Lord shall strike him, or his day shall come to die, or he shall go out to battle and perish.” David’s words were prophetic.

What about us? Do we have the honor of obedience? I’m working on memorizing the first 15 verses in Psalm 119. I’m stumbling over some of the words. Verse 13 says, “With my lips I have declared all the judgments of Your mouth.” Have you? I haven’t. All means no exception.

Our obedience is an outward show of a heart that honors the Lord above all else. Psalm 119:2 says, “Blessed are those who keep His testimonies, who seek Him with the whole heart.” John 14:21 says, “He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me…”

John 5:19 says that the Son can do nothing of Himself. Verse 20 says, “For the Father loves the Son, and shows Him all things that He Himself does…” John 3:35 says, “The Father loves the Son, and has given all things into His hand.” 

Philippians 2:8 says of Jesus, “And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.” The Father’s love for the Son, and the Son’s love for the Father is not within our ability to comprehend now.

When we truly grasp how much the Lord loves us, our natural heart’s response is obedience. We honor Him through our wholeheartedness. We obey His word because He first loved us. All we have to give Him is our heart. Psalm 119:10 says, “With my whole heart I have sought You; oh, let me not wander from Your commandments.”

Psalm 138:2 says, “I will worship toward Your holy temple, and praise Your name for Your lovingkindness and Your truth; for You have magnified Your word above Your name.” We magnify the Lord when we obey His word from a heart of love.

David made another faith statement as he faced his giant. In 1 Samuel 17:47 he continued his faith proclamation to Goliath. It says, “Then all this assembly shall know that the Lord does not save with sword and spear; for the battle is the Lord’s, and He will give you into our hands.”

In verse 48 it says that David hurried and ran to meet the Philistine. Verse 50 says, “So David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and a stone, and struck the Philistine and killed him. But there was no sword in the hand of David.”

With his sling, David’s stone found its mark and took out his giant. The Philistines speak of our flesh. Our flesh taunts our spirit. We know from 2 Corinthians 10:4 that our weapons are not of the flesh. It says they are, “…mighty in God for pulling down strongholds.”

Verse 3 Amplified says, “For though we walk (live) in the flesh, we are not carrying on our warfare according to the flesh and using mere human weapons.” Psalm 149:6 says, “Let the high praises of God be in their mouth, and a two-edged sword in their hand.”

2 Chronicles 20 is a great chapter. Verse 1 says that the people of Moab, Ammon, and others came to battle against Jehoshaphat. In verse 12 his prayer from verse 6 continued. “…For we have no power against this great multitude that is coming against us; nor do we know what to do, but our eyes are on You.” 

Verse 17 is a verse we can stand in also. It says, “You will not need to fight in this battle. Position yourselves, stand still and see the salvation of the Lord, who is with you…Do not fear or be dismayed…” Verse 20 says, “…Believe in the Lord your God, and you shall be established; believe His prophets, and you shall prosper.”

Jehoshaphat appointed singers to go out before the army. Verse 21 says, “…those who should praise the beauty of holiness…” Verse 22 says, “Now when they began to sing and to praise, the Lord set ambushes against the people…and they were defeated.”

Armed with stone verses we use them to praise our God. We can run towards our giant because the victory has already been won. Colossians 2:15 says, “Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it.” Jesus’ finished work on the cross is our battle cry.

Let’s go back to when Saul tried to get David to wear his armor. Remember that Saul was head and shoulders above all the people of Israel. David was still a young man. He put on Saul’s armor. 1 Samuel 17:39 says, “David fastened his sword to his armor and tried to walk, for he had not tested them. And David said to Saul; I cannot walk with these, for I have not tested them. So David took them off.”

We cannot successfully fight our giant by just quoting a verse. It needs to be a ‘tested’ verse. Meaning that it’s a verse we have used through experience. It is a truth that is embedded in our heart that has set us free. It’s a smooth stone that has gone through the waters so that the rough edges are worn away.

Stone verses are smooth so that they hit their target and penetrate. We use the truth of His word as praise as we face our giant. Let’s take the giant of fear. It rises up to impact us when we fall into a hard trial. Psalm 46:1 says, “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.” When this verse has become part of our heart, we can use it to praise the Lord.

We don’t pray, ‘Lord be with me’ because He is! We use our stone verse like this, “Lord, I know that You are with me right now. You are my Present Help. I praise You because I am enveloped in Your Presence. Every breath I take I am breathing in Your Presence. Thank You for Your sustaining power.” Our praise comes from a heart that knows the stone verse personally through prior experiences. The Lord truly is Present. He inhabits our praise and the giant of fear is felled.

What giant in your life can defeat you? None! Colossians 3:3 says, “For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.” We cannot be more secure than we are. What are giants? They are works of our flesh that we have allowed to remain to taunt us. Do you feel like you are a captive to bad habits? A habit is the play out of our thoughts.

Let’s take a lesson from David. What death words did Goliath sling out at David? 1 Samuel 17:44 says, “…Come to me, and I will give your flesh to the birds of the air and the beasts of the field!” How did David counter? Verse 45 says, “…You come to me with a sword, with a spear, and with a javelin. But I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, who you have defied.”

Now watch David’s faith declaration in verse 46. It says, “This day the Lord will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you and take your head from you…that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel.”

Fear is a huge giant that seeks to oppose our faith. What do we do to counter fear? First we must remember that fear is a spirit. 2 Timothy 1:7 is a familiar verse. Yet, when we use it as a stone in our sling of faith, it will fell our giant. It says, “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.”

When we interact with fear, our thoughts get scattered. A sound mind is ordered though disciplined thought patterns. How do thoughts form? From what we believe. Our heart is our belief system. When we hide God’s word in our heart, it will be our smooth stone to position in our sling of faith. There are countless verses we can hide in our heart that will be ready stones.

Anger. James 1:19-20 says, “So then, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath; for the wrath of man does not promote the righteousness of God.” Anger is an inward reaction when our will is crossed. Righteousness is our thoughts, purpose, and actions conformed to God’s will.

Doubt. According to James 1:6-8, doubt makes us unstable. It divides our thoughts. It defies who God is at all times. He does not change. David had a great prayer that we can use as a stone. Psalm 86:11 says, “…unite my heart to fear Your name.” Wholeheartedness is one with God’s word. We bring it into our lives and walk it out through our conversations and actions.

Worry. Another word for worry is to fret. Psalm 37:8 says, “…do not fret–it only causes harm.” To fret means to rub away. That is what worry does in our physical bodies. Bone on bone is the fruit of worry. Matthew 6:25 is God’s command. It says, “Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life…” Worry is the wrong focus. Verse 33 says, “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness…”

Did you note that fear, anger, doubt, and worry all affect our walk in righteousness. Isaiah 32:17 says, “The work of righteousness will be peace, and the effect of righteousness, quietness and assurance forever.” I encourage you to think about the flesh-giants in your life. Then ask the Holy Spirit to help you gather the stone verses that you need. Hide them in your heart so they are ready to fit into your faith sling.

Have you ever put these two words together? Discontentment and disobedience were the words the Holy Spirit connected for me. I doubt that I had ever thought of them together before. It really grabbed my attention and I thought about them off and on throughout that day.

We know that satan has weapons to destroy our faith. He knows that our faith is essential to our endurance. Paul called them ‘wiles’ in Ephesians 6:11. He encouraged his readers to, “Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.”

We gain essential understanding from Ephesians 2:2 about how we were before salvation. It says, “In which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience.”

Discontentment leads to disobedience. When we disobey the Lord, that opens the door for satan to work through our disobedience against God and others. Beware when niggling thoughts of discontent wiggle in. They are spiritual parasites looking for a place to embed. Note: a parasite lives off its host.

Think of these sins: adultery, fornication, jealousy, envy, lust, and stealing. What do they have in common? Discontent. They see something they don’t have and allow their desire for it to overtake them. Each one of these sins goes against God’s written word.

Psalm 119:36 says, “Incline my heart to Your testimonies, and not to covetousness.” Hebrews 13:5 says, “Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have.”

Let’s think about David for a moment. God chose him to be the king because he was a man after God’s heart. Yet David got derailed because of covetousness. He was supposed to be leading his army in battle. Instead he stayed home. 

He saw and coveted Bathsheba. When he found out who her husband was, he made preparations for him to be killed. Uriah was one of David’s 37 mighty men! He lied. He destroyed his honor. He sinned against God. 

Paul said he learned to be content. It is a lesson we all must learn. A thought of discontent is satan’s strategic fiery dart. The only way to counter that attack is through our faith.

Ephesians 6:16 says, “Above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench ALL the fiery darts of the wicked one.” Isaiah 59:19 says, “So shall they fear the name of the Lord from the west, and His glory from the rising of the sun; when the enemy comes in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord will lift up a standard against him.”

That ‘standard’ is God’s word hidden in our heart. The Holy Spirit brings it into our mind so that we might use it as a defensive weapon. As we repeat it our faith is increased. We are empowered to stand and to keep on standing in the face of the dart of discontentment. 1 Timothy 6:6 says, “Now godliness with contentment is great gain.” Notice ‘now’ is present tense. Is this verse hidden in your heart?

We have a perfect illustration from Saul’s actions of what not to do. The root to his disobedience was clearly defined by Samuel. 1 Samuel 15:9. May these words never define our heart. It says, “…and were unwilling…” Verse 11 was the Lord’s words to Samuel. It says, “…he has turned back from following Me, and has not performed my commandments.”

Let’s look at what Samuel said to Saul in another incident of disobedience. 1 Samuel 13:14 says, “But now your kingdom shall not continue. The Lord has sought for Himself a man after His own heart…” I love Psalm 63. David’s words are so precious to me because they express my heart.

Psalm 63:1 says, “O God, You are my God; early will I seek You; my soul thirsts for You; my flesh longs for You in a dry and thirsty land where there is no water.” Verse 8 in the Amplified says, “My whole being follows hard after You and clings closely to You; Your right hand upholds me.”

When I was young I often heard that God chose David because he was a man after God’s heart. In my mind I thought it meant that David was like God’s heart. However, David’s Psalms reveal his heart’s cry of a seeker.

Psalm 27:4 says, “One thing I have desired of the Lord, that will I seek…” Verse 8 says, “When You said, Seek My face, my heart said to You, Your face, Lord, I will seek.” Are you a seeker? Hebrews 11:6 says, “But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that he is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.”

Diligence is a deep heart character quality. There is no wavering, hemming or hawing, but perseverance and dedication to obedience. Let’s look at what was said about David. In 1 Samuel 16:14 God sent a distressing spirit on Saul. His servants suggested he look for a skillful harp player.

Verse 18 says that one of the servants brought up David, “…who is…a mighty man of valor, a man of war, prudent in speech, and a handsome person; and the Lord is with him.” These are apt descriptions of David’s heart.

This is said of Jesus who is our pattern. Hebrews 5:8 says, “Though He was a Son, yet He learned obedience by the things which He suffered.” 1 Peter 2:23 is another of His examples for us to follow. It says, “Who, when He was reviled, did not revile in return; when He suffered, He did not threaten, but committed Himself to Him who judges righteously.”

Our trials are designed to train our heart to respond to God’s loving correction. Hebrews 12:11 says, “Now no chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful; nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.”

When we grow resentful and weary of our trial, it is a clear indication that we are not being trained by it. Resentment, bitterness, and impatience are fruits of our resistant flesh. Paul trained his heart to obey in whatever circumstances he found himself in.

When I think of all that Paul went through, I have nothing to complain about in comparison. You can read 2 Corinthians 11:23-33 for a refresher. Philippians 4:11 says, “…I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content…”

Lack of contentment often leads to disobedience. To be content is to embrace all that the Lord is doing in our lives. It is not looking back and wishing that things were different. It is living in His Presence and gazing upon Him. Paul said in Philippians 3:13, “…forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead.” The path of obedience is strewn with grace.

In 1 Samuel 10 the prophet Samuel gave Saul clear direction. It is passages like this that awaken my heart to be more attentive. I want to be led by the Holy Spirit into every situation the Lord has planned for my life. Do you? How do we train our hearts? Galatians 5:16 says that when we walk in the Spirit our flesh will be denied.

I think that is our key. When our flesh rises up, we need to submit our hearts to the Holy Spirit. 1 Samuel 10:7 says, “And let it be, when these signs come to you, that you do  as the occasion demands; for God is with you.” Saul was instructed what would happen. All he had to do was walk into what God had prepared.

What has the Lord prepared for us? Ephesians 2:10 says, “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.” 1 Corinthians 2:9 says, “But it is written: Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him.”

The only way we can walk in what is prepared is to be attentive to the moving of the Holy Spirit in our lives. As always, Jesus is our example. John 5:19 says of Jesus, “…Most assuredly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do; for whatever He does, the Son also does in like manner.”

Our prepared good works are beyond us. They were set into our spiritual DNA when He formed us in our mother’s womb. He alone knows what they are, the timing, and the execution. I visit this verse often as it helps me keep perspective. Ephesians 1:11 says, “In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will.”

Every situation, trial, circumstance, encounter, provision, and direction in our lives brings us into the counsel of His will. Psalm 85:13 says, “Righteousness will go before Him, and shall make His footsteps our pathway.” Righteousness is conforming our thoughts, purpose, and actions to His will. That is what takes place in our progressive sanctification.

Isaiah 30:21 says, “Your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, This is the way, walk in it, whenever you turn to the right hand or whenever you turn to the left.” Verse 18 says, “Therefore the Lord will wait, that He may be gracious to you; and therefore He will be exalted, that He may have mercy on you. For the Lord is a God of justice; blessed are all those who wait for Him.”

Waiting until we are instructed is the key to training our hearts to be attentive. Isaiah 64:4 says that God acts for those who wait for Him. Waiting is a trial in itself. Our flesh is impatient! Whenever we are in a waiting situation, our flesh presses to be heard. Thoughts like, ‘Do something’ may come. Our mind may take off in imaginary ways of how things might play out. That is when we say ‘no!’ to our flesh and settle our hearts to hear what the Spirit is saying to us.

There is a story in 1 Samuel 9 that clearly displays how God intercepts. If you haven’t read it recently, I encourage you to refresh your memory. Saul’s father’s donkeys got lost. He sent Saul and a servant to go look for them. They looked for days and were about to turn back. Watch how this all played out through God’s interception.

In 1 Samuel 9:6 Saul’s servant told him about the man of God that lived in the city. They decided to seek out the seer to tell them the way to go. In verse 11 they asked a young woman where they could find the seer. In verse 12 she said that ‘today’ he was coming. As they were heading into the city, verse 15 says, “Now the Lord had told Samuel in his ear the day before Saul came, saying.” 

In verse 16 the Lord explained to Samuel how he was to anoint Saul as commander over His people Israel. Verse 17 says, “So when Samuel saw Saul, the Lord said to him, There he is, the man of whom I spoke to you. This one shall reign over My people.” In verse 18 Saul met Samuel and asked him where he would find the seer.

Samuel instructed him to go up to the high place to eat with him. Then he told him that the donkeys had been found. Now watch how the Lord had set up the next scene. In verse 23 Samuel said to the cook, “…Bring the portion which I gave you, of which I said to you, Set it apart.” In verse 24 the cook brought the thigh portion to Saul and Samuel said, “…Here it is, what was kept back. It was set apart for you…”

When the Lord is ready to present what He has set apart for us, He intercepts our way. It doesn’t say, but I would imagine that Saul and his servant were frustrated that they could not find the donkeys. They had no idea that the Lord had orchestrated the whole entire situation. Years ago the Holy Spirit gave me a definition for frustration: God intercepting my way to redirect me into His way.

Think of some other times that the Lord intercepted folks. Saul of Tarsus was intercepted. His life was radically changed. The Lord gave to him what He had kept back. Paul took the gospel to the Gentiles. Through God’s interception you and I have the privilege to receive essential instruction for our walk with the Lord. Paul wrote many of his epistles while in prison. 

I think of Hagar also. When Sarai treated her harshly she fled from her presence. The Angel of the Lord found her and spoke to her about the child she was carrying. In Genesis 16:13 she said, “…You-Are-The-God-Who-Sees…” There was another time where He intercepted her. The Lord had a hidden provision for her. When she was in absolute despair, he revealed Himself to her in a new way. Abraham had sent her away with her young son Ishmael. She was in the wilderness. Her food and water ran out. She placed Ishmael under a shrub and sat across from him and cried. 

Genesis 21:17 says, “And God heard the voice of the lad…” Then an angel of God called out to her to see what her problem was. Verse 19 says, “Then God opened her eyes, and she saw a well of water…” It doesn’t say, but I believe the well was there all along. What provision is near you that you do not yet see? The next time you feel frustrated, stop and be still. Ready your heart to receive God’s interception so that He can direct you into His way.