Courageous active waiting

Have you heard of active listening? Active listening recognises that communication is not all about the one talking, it’s also about the listener who works to understand what is being said. Active listening is quite hard work, even though it appears as though you’re doing nothing.

Courageous active waiting is in the same arena. Perhaps we have a vision or passion for something, but don’t know what to do or where to go with it. In these times we engage in courageous active waiting.

The courage comes from resisting the temptation to give up, or to ‘make it happen’. So often we fear missing the opportunity, fear losing the vision and growing cold, we see the problem clearly and know the solution needed to happen yesterday...many things can make it extremely compelling to just do something! And if we can’t, we are tempted to give up as too hard.

There is a third option. If it’s not yet right to act openly, then act privately – pray a lot, research the issue, find partners who share the vision or who can add to and refine the vision, keep the issue alive between yourself and God in a way that leaves the initiative in his hands. He will act when he is ready, and when he judges that you are ready.

Great works of God were often done through people who had proven themselves diligent and obedient when people weren’t there to see it. King David was able to kill Goliath because he and God had tackled lions and bears together defending his father’s sheep.

Later, King David would need to show a different kind of courage – to refuse to defend himself from Saul who sought his death. Even though he was anointed king to succeed Saul, David withheld his hand, trusting God to establish him as promised. But he was by no means idle in that time of waiting. God sent him the down-and-outs, the disgruntled and disaffected people to govern, which was perfect preparation in trusting God when governing a nation of warring tribes.

In a world that worships the strength of our arm, the use of our own skills and resources to solve problems and to make our way in the world relying on nothing or no one, we must champion an attitude of active waiting that honour’s God our provider and protector, so that we are ready for the Lord’s timing.