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If there's something that almost all Christians struggle with at some point it's the idea of waiting for the Lord. When we want something, we want it now. We want to serve God by heading out to do great ministry works and do them in the ways we want to have them done. The problem creeps in when we go and do those things ahead of what God has in store for us.

You see, not everyone is equipped for every kind of ministry. I know that you have some pastors that will tell you every believer can be equipped for any ministry...and I don't put limits on God so it's possible that you could have moments where you do ministries you're not ready for...but I think the Lord prepares us and gifts us all with inherent abilities that perform different tasks in the body of the church. I think part of that preparation is waiting for God to present us with opportunities for growth, for knowledge, for experience and for service. They key to all of it is letting the Lord guide our steps and give us the wisdom and direction we need as we move forward in that desire to serve Him.

Lamentations 3:22-25 (ESV) says "The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. “ The Lord is my portion,” says my soul, “ therefore I will hope in him.” The Lord is good to those who wait for him, to the soul who seeks him."

God is steadfast in His love for us and His desire for us is to have a stronger, deeper, intimate relationship with him and to take that relationship to impact the world for Him.  The Lord is the source of your hope...he is your portion...and He will provide you with opportunities to serve Him in mighty ways but you need to let Him do the leading and wait for Him to guide your steps.

"God helps those who help themselves" may be a legendary phrase but it's not anywhere in the Bible.  We are to really do the opposite in most cases...we're to let God help us and guide us so that we stay within His will even if that means passing up a ministry opportunity we find extremely desirable or an opportunity that would be a big financial bonus to the church or give a solid boost to attendance.  We need to make sure that what we are doing for the Lord is what He is telling us to do because if we get out in front of His will then we risk not having His blessing upon our efforts. 

I don't know about you but I'd rather miss what seems like a golden opportunity to us as humans for one that seems to be a less special situation but is what God is wanting for us to have and do.   If we truly believe in the steadfast love of the Lord, that His mercies never come to an end and that His faithfulness is great then we should have all that we need to wait upon Him and His leading in our lives. 

I'm not saying it's fun.  I hate to wait just like anyone else hates to wait for things.  I just know that whatever I might do before God says it's time will be nothing compared to what will come in His time.  And I trust in Him.