Impatient

 March 23, 2023

Listening for God can be tricky. This morning was another one of those times when I felt dull of hearing, and I think I know why. It’s about deer hunting. A lot of my friends are avid hunters. When we see one another during deer season, the conversation is all about the ones we saw, the tracks and rubs, the shots taken, passed by, or missed. Fact is, I’m not much of a hunter. I’m too impatient. If I’m out in the woods for an hour or two and have seen nothing, I start to get itchy. My friends can sit all day, patiently waiting for that big buck to come by their stand. I start to twitch and squirm. “I have things to do; I can’t sit here any longer.” So I get up and start walking back to my truck. It’s not even noon, and I’m done for the day.

Too often I approach my time with God the same way. If something in the Bible doesn’t jump out at me right away, I start to fidget, my mind wanders, and pretty soon, I’m thinking about what I could be or should be doing instead of sitting quietly, waiting on God. 

I could be forgiven if it were only impatience, but I think it’s more than that. If I’m thinking there’s stuff to be doing that’s more important than paying attention to God, my priorities are really messed up, and my heart is not set on the Lord as it should be. To be honest, it’s lots easier to scroll through Facebook or YouTube than paying attention to God. Boy, do I wish I didn’t have to admit that! Jeremiah 17:9 and Romans 7 are me.

There is however, some redemption in all this. Sometimes—actually, quite often—God speaks when I get up and get busy, especially if that busyness is about ministering to someone else. I wasn’t able to  get much out of the assigned Scripture for the day, but when I worked on my talk for the Footsteps weekend and wrote some letters, Christ’s peace settled upon me. My impatience paved the way for the service through which God spoke quietly to my heart, “This is what I planned for you today.” That’s pretty good, and I’m content tonight.