Hear, O LORD, [when] I cry with my voice: have mercy also upon me, and answer me. (Ps 27:7)
"What am I supposed to do, Lord?" A prayer we've all prayed at one time or another. "Am I making the right decision, Lord?" Another one. "Is this what you want from me, or is it what I want for myself?" There are many more.
Sometimes we begin asking for guidance before we even need it, sometimes we ask when confronted with a situation, and sometimes we ask afterwards. That last one tends to be me a lot of the time. Yes, I pray daily. But sometimes get so "caught up" in what sounds good at the time, without thinking it through, and act impulsively - then I go to the Lord in prayer. It are those desperate cries that we utter that often need the most attention. Fortunately, our King does not roll his eyes and tell us "I told you so". With a gentle and loving hand, he reminds us that we did not consult him first, this may not be part of his plan and he wants us to back out gracefully and return the power to him.
Our human impulses often take us to places we think we want to be and then when we are there, realize that is not where he wants us to be. So how do we "fix" that? We don't. He will. Most of the time this comes when we get tired of waiting. We need to learn to trust him just a little more. He has promised us he will never leave us, so why do we doubt that he will? He has promised to take care of us, so why do we fear he won't? Other people, other humans like ourselves, have a tendency to push us to make decisions that will satisfy and pacify them - these are not necessarily decisions that we are comfortable with, nor are they truly what we want to do, but feel we have no choice in the matter - maybe because they do not walk as closely to God as we do.
If you truly want to follow Jesus, if you want him to lead, you have to allow him the room to walk and work. He will take hold of your life if you let him. Stop interfering in what he wants for you by injecting what you think you want (or what others think you should be doing). Let him have the lead; then follow. Somethings aren't meant for us to accomplish. Some things aren't as important as others would have you believe they are.
Be patient and wait on him. When you become frustrated in that waiting period, pray. Offer him prayers of praise and thanksgiving for what he has already done for you. Many of us forget that it took a long time for us to reach the place we are in (and that can be either good or bad). Don't add to your "drama" by engaging in things not of God, things he may not necessarily want for you or things you feel you "need" to do to please others. Please one person. God! He will take care of the rest. Do what he asks of you and everything else will fall into place as it's supposed to. Let your faith in him take hold of you and don't let the enemy get in there with a wrench and loosen all the bolts. Be strong and patient. Pray and wait. Look for his footsteps and follow in them. He's been knocking on the door to your heart for a long time...open the door and let him in!
