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Friends United Meeting |
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Quaker Life
January/February 2003
Understanding God's Leading Requires Waiting
By Mary Lee Comer
"God moves in mysterious ways" is a common statement, and one that we all experience from time to time. One of God's mysterious ways that continues to confound me is why He always speaks in the middle of the night. Why can't He speak around mid-morning over a cup of tea? Another mystery is why doesn't He answer our prayers when we want them answered. Lee Edmundson put this mystery in perspective recently when he quoted to me from Alex Haley's Roots: "The good Lord does not always show up when we want him to, but He will be on time."
It is unsettling to be required to wait on God when we are faced with fear and uncertainty. We want quick answers so that we can once again feel safe and secure. When we don't receive God's answers quickly, we are often inclined to lean on our own understanding. For years I was paid by the State of Indiana to rely on my own understanding. Sure, I had to follow the law, but often the law did not clearly and decisively address all the issues. The law states very clearly that if a tenant does not pay the rent, the court must evict the tenant at the landlord's request. But the law does not say that the judge has to evict a family of seven the week before Christmas. Waiting another week is within the discretion of the judge, even though the landlord may not be happy about the delay. (This was an actual case. From this case I learned a valuable lesson: don't set eviction hearings the week before Christmas.)
Settling into my role as clerk of Western Yearly Meeting has been an interesting transition from relying on my own understanding to relying on God's. I don't always get it right; I'm still working on it. What I am learning is that understanding God's leading requires waiting; I can't impose the deadlines. God doesn't always move according to the yearly meeting schedule. A few days ago I was e-mailing a Friend from another yearly meeting. I asked him to pray that God would quickly give us clarity on the issue that faces us. I immediately deleted that sentence and re-wrote it. I asked him to pray that God's will be done in our yearly meeting. Wanting resolution quickly is my selfish prayer. It is a result of my own fear and insecurity about the situation we face. It is not the way Jesus taught us to pray. I must learn over and over the lesson of leaning into God's understanding instead of relying on my own. As I wait, I find comfort in the words of a traditional hymn: "What have I to dread, what have I to fear, leaning on the Everlasting Arms. I have peace complete with my Lord so near, leaning on the Everlasting Arms. Leaning, leaning, safe and secure from all alarms. Leaning, leaning, leaning on the Everlasting Arms."
May we lean together in that wonderfully secure place, trusting that He will show us the way forward, in His own time.
Copyright (c) 2003 Friends United Meeting
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