Quiet Your Restless Heart

and Wait on the Lord 

Psalm 27:14

Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD.

As I sit here, at my desk, staring blankly at my computer screen, I feel a restlessness inside of me and I fidget, my leg tapping lightly up and down on my chair. I struggle to focus on the words in front of me. I know that God’s Word holds the comfort I need for this very moment and yet it’s a battle to sit still in the presence of the Lord, reading His Word and soaking in all the precious promises I know he has for me.

Every little thing distracts me. A car going by, a bird hopping along the verandah, a helicopter taking off, the beeping of machinery close by, the dog barking. And then there’s the thoughts rattling around in my head. The endless voices that whisper unhelpful lies. Lies about God’s goodness, lies about my own self-worth, and the seeds of doubt begin to well up inside.

Patience has never been one of my strengths and in the last few weeks, it has been sorely tried. And, I’m sorry to say, I have proved once again that it is something that I really need to work on.

I don’t do ‘waiting’ very well at all. If something needs to be done, I want to tackle it straight away. If it needs doing tomorrow, then I want to start it today. If it needs paying, then why not today? If it needs an hour, then isn’t 45 minutes long enough? You get the picture. Anyone out there just like me? Or am I the only one?

In the past couple of weeks, I have been really tested in this area of waiting. And I realised that I needed to learn to do something that I’ve read many times in the Bible. STAND STILL.

Yes, stand still. Hmmm. The standing I can manage. The still, not so much.

One of the most well-known verses in scripture regarding standing still is found in Exodus.

Exodus 14:13 And Moses said unto the people, Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD, which he will shew to you to day: for the Egyptians whom ye have seen to day, ye shall see them again no more for ever.

We all know the story of the Israelites exodus from Egypt and Pharaohs army chasing after them. This verse is found just before the parting of the Red Sea and the almighty miracle that God did to save his people from the Egyptians.

As they come up against the sea and the army is close on their heels, Moses tells the people to stand still. He tells them to stand still and see the salvation of the Lord.

Exodus 14:14 The LORD shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace.

I love the next verse. Moses was probably exasperated and sick of the Israelites fear and whining that he basically told them to shut up! There is so much in this little verse, I wish I could expound on it more, but for now, I want to look at the idea of standing still.

There are quite a few references in the Bible of standing still.

Numbers 9:8 And Moses said unto them, Stand still, and I will hear what the LORD will command concerning you.

Joshua 3:8 And thou shalt command the priests that bear the ark of the covenant, saying, When ye are come to the brink of the water of Jordan, ye shall stand still in Jordan.

1 Samuel 12:7 Now therefore stand still, that I may reason with you before the LORD of all the righteous acts of the LORD, which he did to you and to your fathers.

1 Samuel 14:9 If they say thus unto us, Tarry until we come to you; then we will stand still in our place, and will not go up unto them.

Job 37:14 Hearken unto this, O Job: stand still, and consider the wondrous works of God.

All these verses stress the importance of waiting on God. Standing still. Waiting. Patience. Stillness.

I think the reason I find stillness and waiting so hard is because of a lack of faith. The Bible tells me that if I had faith the size of a mustard seed, mountains would move. But unfortunately, I think my faith is often more like an orchid seed, apparently so small it’s almost dust-like.

In James chapter 1, we learn that we need to let patience work in our lives.

James 1:4 - But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.

That word patience here has the idea of endurance and continuance. One Bible dictionary puts it like this:

“…the characteristic of a man who is not swayed from his deliberate purpose and his loyalty to faith and piety by even the greatest trials and sufferings.”

Is this the type of patience you exhibit? This is the patience that God wants us to have. There is surrender involved in this, because we have to choose to allow it to have its proper place in our life and the end result is growth and maturity. By waiting patiently, we are able to grow.

We know of Job’s patience. Throughout all his trials and testings, he chose to wait on the Lord. He stood still and made a choice to be patient.

James 5:11 - Behold, we count them happy which endure. Ye have heard of the patience of Job, and have seen the end of the Lord; that the Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy.

Job was blessed because of his patience, and we know that the end of his story was better than the beginning.

So why is it then that I can’t wait patiently? Why isn’t my faith stronger? Why am I restless and impatient, wanting God’s answers to my problems right now? The struggle is real, and I know I’m not the only one dealing with this at this very moment.

Maybe you’re finding it hard to make ends meet. The bills keep piling up and you’re not sure which one to pay first and which one to leave til later. Maybe God is not healing you from a sickness that you’ve been struggling with for an extended period. Maybe it’s a strained relationship you’re trying to work through. Whatever the case may be and whatever the prayer is, whatever the burden that’s pressing so hard down upon you, rest assured that God knows all about it and is working in the background. He hasn’t forgotten you. You are his child. You are not an orphan. Penniless and alone. He sees you and he knows you and he loves you enough to let you wait. Growth happens in darkness.

I have to consistently remind myself of God’s promises. Daily, I need to go to God’s Word and seek them out and pray over them and claim them. And daily, hourly, even minute by minute, I need to practice waiting. I need to learn to stand still and see the salvation of the Lord. Because it will come. Maybe not right away, maybe not in my time frame, but it will come.

What do I do while I wait? Do I grumble and complain? Do I fill my days with distraction of every sort, hoping that somehow it will lessen the pain and struggle? Do I fight against it? Do I battle along in my own strength, trying to fix the problem, because I’m tired of waiting on God to do his part?

Sadly, this is what we do quite often. But there is a better way. And it’s not easy. But good comes from difficulty. Blessings come from darkened paths.

The first step is to pray. And when I say pray, I don’t mean only once. No. Pray without ceasing. Pray a lot! Bring your cares to the Lord Jesus and lay them all out for him. He is able to bear them. Let him know what you’re struggling with. Give him all the details. Spare nothing. He can take it.

And while you’re at it, pray for patience. Pray for God to do a transforming work in your heart so that you’re able to surrender to his will, submissively yielding up your rights and letting him take control.

Stop fighting the process and surrender to God’s work in your heart. Let go of any attempt to control the situation and let God use his own timeline.

Secondly, read the Word. Get into the Bible and let the Words of life soak into your mind, your soul and your heart. Reading the Word of God will keep you grounded. It will fill you with hope as you read of others who endured seasons of waiting and God came through, revealing his power in amazing ways. You will realise that you are not alone in your struggle. Read of God’s faithfulness and let it fill your heart with gratitude.

Thirdly, focus on the blessings. It’s hard when you’re in a season of waiting and God seems silent, to count your blessings. When all around us, all we see are difficulties, unanswered prayers, unresolved conflict, unpaid bills, and uncertainty, it’s a struggle to express thankfulness. But it’s so necessary. Gratitude is something that every person needs to improve on.

I find it interesting that even the unsaved world is realising the importance of having a grateful heart. I have seen gratitude journals for sale in large retail stores. Being thankful and actually writing down the blessings in your life on a daily basis will make you a happier person. When we focus on the good in our lives and dial down the negatives, our joy-o-meter rises. When we reach out and help someone in need, we find that suddenly, our own problems don’t seem so big and important anymore.

Now, this was meant to be a short little musing on waiting, but as I’m preaching this to myself, needing a rebuke from the Lord on my lack of faith and restless heart, it has grown a little longer than planned.

There is so much in God’s Word on this subject, and I’ve barely lifted the lid on it. If you’re in a season of waiting and struggling with the standing still, then I encourage you to do some searching on your own. You will find so many beautiful pearls of wisdom in the Word of God. But be warned, you will also be convicted, be rebuked and have your toes stepped on. We all need reminding of the need to wait.

If we can learn to wait patiently, we will be blessed. The trial will pass, the darkness will lift, the answers will come, and the Lord will come through, as he has done, time and time again. He will renew our strength and he will give our tired wings lift once again. He will give us the energy to run, he will raise our weary heads and empower us with his strength.

Isaiah 40:31 - But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.

And then we will say along with the Psalmist:

Psalm 40:1-3 I waited patiently for the LORD; and he inclined unto me, and heard my cry. He brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings. And he hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God: many shall see it, and fear, and shall trust in the LORD.

When we practice patience and we stand still in his presence, waiting on him, listening to him and submissively following his leading, he will set our feet on a rock and others will see it and fear and trust in the LORD.

Your waiting may be just the test you need in order to show God’s glory to those around you. The way you are able to patiently wait, through trials and sufferings, trusting God, relying on Him, resting in him, may just be the very thing someone needs to see in order to place their faith and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ.

Pray constantly. 

Surrender to God. 

Read the Word. 

Practice gratefulness.

Let your light shine. Don’t hide it under a basket of fear and doubt. Polish it up, put a smile on it, let God’s glory shine so brightly that others will want to know all about your God and his goodness.

Don’t waste your season of waiting. Use it as a time for growth and spiritual renewal. Stand still. Wait and see what God will do.

What’s worth having, is worth waiting for.

God wants to do a work in your heart and it’s worth the wait!   

Psalm 40:1-3

I waited patiently for the LORD; and he inclined unto me, and heard my cry. He brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings. And he hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God: many shall see it, and fear, and shall trust in the LORD.