Wait! Don't Run Ahead

Incline your ear and come to Me.  Hear and your soul shall live 

(Isaiah 55:3)

“Wait! Don’t run ahead of me!  You might get lost…hurt…picked up by a stranger.”  Have you ever heard yourself saying some of these things to a child of your own or one you are supervising?  In truth, most of us would probably answer “yes.” 

Potential dangers waiting ahead, just out of visual range, make it unsafe and imprudent for a child to go off on their own.  Adult supervision on a continual basis has become necessary even in so-called safe neighborhoods.

Dangerous elements lurk all around our lives, too.  Elements that would sell us into the slavery of drugs, alcoholism, pornography, gambling, adultery, family violence, contentions, gossip, unforgiveness, and greed to name only a few.  They seek to bind us and hold us against our will, and we are powerless, in our own strength, to protect against such machinations of Satan.  Only Jehovah God, the Highest Power in existence, has the ability to guard us against temptations and  their entrapment.

Like children eager for independence, we often run ahead of God, ignoring His warning to wait for instructions before making decisions or carrying out plans.  We become so intent on achieving a desired goal that we fail to heed the urgency of His command.  And while we may escape obvious harm, there is always a price to pay for disobedience. Even if we realize our aspiration, the words of the psalmist will be true of us:

They did not wait for His counsel…

and He gave them their request

 but sent leanness into their soul 

(Psalm 106 13,15)

And when all is said and done, we will find ourselves echoing the sentiments found in the book of Isaiah:

I have spent my strength for nothing and in vain 

(Isaiah 49:4)

Whatever we do, whether it is for the Lord, ourselves or others, it is important to remember that it is not enough that something is worthy of being done.  It must be done in God’s perfect time and way if it is to bring the desired results and a sense of satisfaction.  If we want God’s power and protection, we must follow His plan:

Rest in the Lord and wait patiently for Him; do not fret—

it only causes harm.Those who wait on the Lord,

 they shall inherit the earth 

(Psalm 37:7-9)

Lord, like a child I run ahead, eager just to be
allowed to choose the path and pace that seems the best to me.
But there are dangers up ahead -- dangers I can’t see; 
and I become ensnared by sin whenever I break free.
So, keep me ever at Your side and down on bended knee,
that I may know Your perfect will and claim Your guarantee.