How To Trust God Without Putting Your Life On Pause

Since surrendering my steps to the Lord, I've found myself stagnant, frozen, passive, waiting. I've been waiting on a yes. Yes, do that. Yes, do this. Yes, approach that person. Yes, write that book. Yes. And since I haven't heard the yes, I've been standing still. My life has been on pause, and that isn't good for anyone.

Idleness, rumination, passivity, and unresolved longing are footholds for the enemy.

We often hear the saying, a paraphrase from scripture, that idle minds are the devil's playthings. Trust me, I know this and I've lived it. So, not only have I been waiting on the Lord, I've been fighting the enemy's attacks and it's felt like a war inside me. I want to move. I want to do. But I don't know which direction to take. I don't know which book to write, if I should write anything at all. I don't know how to handle this season of singleness and dating. Should I be dating? Should I be waiting for the Lord to deliver my husband like Amazon? Should I be passive?

Is waiting on the Lord passive: a life on autopilot until He shakes your shoulders and says this is the way or this is the one?

For so long, I've felt that waiting on the Lord, trusting the Lord, surrendering my life to Him means not moving until He says go. But today I saw a scripture reflection that made me think otherwise.

"The steps of the righteous are ordered by the Lord." Psalm 37:33

Your steps come before the Lord's ordering.

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to Him, and He will make your paths straight." Proverbs 3:5-6

Submission comes before steps, before going your way. Submission is a heart posture: a willingness to walk slowly, receive re-direction, hold your plans with open palms, remain teachable, flexible and unattached to specific outcomes. But submission is not stillness or passivity. It does not remove the need to act. The Lord promises to make your path straight, but first, you have to start walking, acting, moving.

"Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, 'This is the way; walk in it.'" Isaiah 30:21

This scripture speaks to me, because I have heard the voice of the Lord. Over the past couple of years, there have been specific moments where I've received direction from the Lord. One time, it was "Speak to him." Another it was, "Don't marry him. It's not him." Most notably, was the first time I heard the Lord's voice. This was years ago when I was at my lowest. He told me, "My blood is worth more than this." He stopped me from making a mistake, from hurting myself. He intervened in the middle of my plan, my step, my path, my hurt and He will do it again. So, there is no need to fear making a mistake.

If the Lord will rescue you when you aren't seeking Him, how much more will He save you when you are surrendered to Him?

There have been other times I've felt the Lord's guidance not because of a voice, but because of a knowing. "I know this is right." "I know this is a good thing." That knowing has led me to my specific church home, to donate to specific charities and join a specific serve team at church over the other. It's even led me to brave the thunderstorm at night and attend a YA event at church that was the beginning of building a new community.

Years ago that knowing accompanied my journey to get into fitness and begin a weight loss journey I knew would take years to achieve. It was a good thing. What occurred before the knowing was the interest, the desire. God confirmed after I took a step or planned a step. And yes, there have also been times that I've had interests or desires and been redirected.

"Whoever watches the wind will not plant; whoever looks at the clouds will not reap." Ecclesiastes 11:4

God knows the perfect time. We do not, and no matter how surrendered we are, we never will. We are not called to wait passively, doing nothing, until divine revelation sparks us into action. We are called to submit our hearts to the Lord, make our plans, and trust His intervention will come. He will confirm or He will redirect. But if we do nothing, He has nothing to work with.

I don't know why the idea of waiting, trusting, and surrendering got so complicated for me that it left me frozen, fractured, disconnected, and passive. But now, I'm choosing to take a step. Maybe even more than one.

Think about it... How can you expect to lose a massive amount of weight if you never show up to the gym? How can you expect to travel the world if you never book a flight? How can you expect to get married if you never speak to another human? How can you expect to have a child if you never have sex? How can you expect to have financial freedom if you never learn how to manage money wisely? How can you expect to have a nice home if you never look for one, buy one, or build one? How can you expect to be a bestselling author if you never write a book?

Everything we desire in life requires a step of action to achieve, not passive rumination.

And while many will say you should want for nothing, you should have no desires at all. It's selfish to want anything other than Jesus. The truth is, Jesus died to give us the abundant life. He died to free us from a life of sin and suffering. And while yes, we still suffer as followers of Christ. Suffering is not our inheritance. It's not our destiny. And it's not the legacy of God's children here on earth. The enemy would like to make us think so. He's certaintly gotten to me in this very regard. In many ways, I'm still struggling to find the joy in my walk with Christ. But that struggle comes from the devil's deception and my own internal wounds that require divine healing.

God gives us specific desires, skills, gifts, talents, and resources for specific purposes. There is joy in exploring them, using them, and seeing what God creates with them and through you. But again, we are an active participant in what the Lord does in our life, not a passive possession.

So, if your desire is good and your heart seeks to please the Lord, take a step. Walk your path. The Lord will speak when redirection is needed.