The bible warns of being “idle”; it also frequently speaks of “patiently waiting on the Lord” and “resting”. I recently found myself questioning what the difference is between these three and how to discern it. I have come to the conclusion that it is about following God’s lead (which almost always runs contrary to our human nature!), as well as the state of our heart (our willingness or unwillingness to follow through on His direction). The definition of “lazy” is “unwilling to work or use energy”; “not liking to work hard or to be active”. I think the key word is unwilling. In the bible, the word “idle” is typically used to describe someone who, generally speaking, is unwilling to work. “Patiently waiting on the Lord” means waiting without becoming fearful, anxious, or taking matters into your own hands. God has deliberately asked you to wait – to not act … possibly because He is about to do something and He doesn’t want you interfering with it, or possibly because it is not yet time to act; His timing is not your timing, and if He wants you to act, then when the time is right, He will give you further directions/instructions. I call that AFI (“Awaiting Further Instructions”). Waiting on the Lord is not a passive behavior; it requires faith and trust. “Resting” is a period of time God deliberately gives us to rest; either because we have just come through a particularly busy or stressful season of life, or because we are about to enter into one and He wants us to be spiritually, physically, and emotionally rested. I have found it is usually both of those things; God will bring me through stressful times, followed by a period of rest. Once my strength and faith is renewed, He will give me a new “assignment”. There are times in life when God wants us to get our butt in gear and get moving, and there are many reasons we may hesitate to do that, including fear or unbelief. God is far more interested in our hearts and our motivations than in our behavior. You can act out of fear and disbelief just as easily as you can fail to act out of fear or disbelief. When I find myself in either of these situations, it helps me to look at how Jesus dealt with fear and disbelief; overall, He was so patient, particularly with His disciples, who knew Him best, and had the least reason or excuse to have fear or doubt. I look at how He interacted with Peter or Thomas, and it reassures me that He understands my human tendency to respond with fear or doubt, even when He has demonstrated His faithfulness in the past. Jesus never condemned them; He did what He needed to do to reassure them, to get them back on track. There is a big difference between failing to act out of fear or disbelief and laziness. I also think, especially in today’s 24/7 workaholic culture, most people (including me!) really struggle to “wait on the Lord” or “rest”, even when He clearly tells us we need to do so. We like to take matters into our own hands – to “fix” things, and our culture really perpetuates the belief that you are responsible for your own success or failure. We have a “take charge”, “make it happen” mentality. If things aren’t going your way, work harder, strive harder, and make it happen. It leaves no room for God. Many people are missing out on God's plans because they are so busy trying to force their own plan into reality. Not only does God ask us to wait on Him sometimes, but He also asks us to do it “patiently” (without fear or anxiety). I know very few people who do that well (myself included!), but it is a fruit of the Spirit; the longer you follow Jesus and grow as a Christian, the more He will give you opportunities to develop patience.
I have also learned that when He asks me to rest, it means not just physically resting, but resting my mind as well. Stop thinking about things and relax my mind. That is easier said than done; and much harder to do than just physically resting my body. Biblically speaking, we are supposed to rest on a regular, weekly basis, as well as having seasons of rest throughout the year; that is becoming harder and harder to do in our culture. Here is the thing, though: acting when God is asking you to wait patiently on Him or rest is every bit as disobedient as failing to act when He asks you to act. So, how do you discern the difference? The only way is to honestly search your own heart on the matter; better yet, ask God to search it for you and reveal your own weaknesses and motivations to you … He knows you far better than you know yourself.
"For since the world began, no ear has heard, and no eye has seen a God like You, who works for those who wait for Him!" - Isaiah 64:4
© I Lift My Voice, 2017.