Restless

I feel restless.

Restlessness. Kind of like a caged tiger. It some cases it can be a good thing. Something that motivates us to move forward, to break out of a rut, to explore something new.

But usually it’s a bad thing. At its core, being restless is the inability to rest or relax, usually as a result of anxiety or boredom. Restlessness seems to come at those times when we are weary of waiting on God. Because of anxiousness and unsettledness, there is this draw to take matters into our own hands and move the process along.

This usually doesn’t work out very well.

• When Abraham got tired of waiting on God to give him a son, Ishmael was born. And the conflict that action produced is still going on today.

• When Moses got tired of waiting on God to use him to rescue the Israelites from the Egyptians, he ended up killing an Egyptian and going into exile for 40 years.

• When the early church grew restless of waiting on Jesus to return, Paul had to remind them to keep working, live life, and stop being idle.

Taking matters into our own hands means that we aren’t trusting in the prevailing wisdom of God. Forcing action means we don’t trust God to do what is best. In some sense, you could say it is a form of rebellion. It is a question of who we are going to allow to be in control.

When I get restless, I tend to get crabby and unsettled. I want to make something happen to hurry along a process that is already unfolding. Even if I know God is working.

There is no reason for me to feel restless right now. I have every reason to be trusting God and to be thankful. He carried us through a challenging time of waiting. When we weren’t sure where provision was going to come from, He provided. And when we were wondering if there was a new church, a new ministry out there for us, He opened the door and ushered us through it.

And it’s only one more week until we move and enter into the new season that God has shown us. I am excited and eager to get there and get started.

Yet, I feel restless. Is it because I’m so ready to get there? Is it because there are still some unfinalized things to deal with in the transition? Is it something else?

Regardless of the reason, I have two choices. I can continue to wallow in my restlessness. I know that my wife would not prefer that. And I don’t really prefer that either.

Or I can draw near to God.

I can choose to remember the truth of Scripture. Things like “be still and know that I am God.” Or “in repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength, but you would have none of it.” The myriad of stories of God’s faithfulness throughout the pages of Scripture.

I can choose to confess my restlessness to God in prayer. He already knows how I feel and how it affects my actions and attitudes, so it’s not like it’s a surprise. But as I confess that to God, He will forgive and cleanse me from all unrighteousness. He will fill my spirit and soul with the Holy Spirit who gives comfort, strength, and peace. I can pray that in these next days that He would use this time to continue to prepare me for what’s to come.

I can choose to acknowledge again that I trust God. I trust God to do what He says He will do. I trust Him to give good gifts as my Heavenly Father. I trust Him to resolve these earthly details that seem like a big deal, but really aren’t. He’s handled all of this stuff before, and I have no reason to think He won’t this time around. He has already lead and blessed us. That’s not going to change any time soon.

I can choose to worship. There is never a bad time to worship. The life of Job, the life of Paul, the life of David clearly show us that. In all things, whether good or bad, worship is an appropriate and necessary response to God. To listen, to express, to celebrate the unchanging character and faithfulness of God. To be reminded of all that I know to be true.

As I write this, I feel restless. But at the same time, as I have worked on writing this, I have begun to feel less restless. I hope that by the time you read this, restlessness will not be plaguing me.

Continue to pray for us as we make the transition. That the myriad of details will not overwhelm us. That we will work well together as a family. That God will work out all the details of moving to anew place and starting a new job that I am still unsure about.

Thanks.

For discussion:
What are you restless about in your life? How do you deal with restlessness in your own life? Please consider leaving a comment.