Your shoulders and neck are stiff, but by applying the right pressure on specific spots, a massage therapist can succeed in loosening up your muscles. Don’t have the time or money to go to a spa? No worries, here’s another free and effective solution…
Close your eyes (after reading this paragraph, of course!). See yourself in front of God. The One who created the universe with simply His Word. The One who knows your past and your future. Who knows exactly how you feel right now. Imagine looking straight into His loving eyes, take a deep breath, exhale, and tell Him sincerely: “Yes, I trust you.” If you were sincere, you will instantly feel the tightness of your shoulders fade away. If the pressure was so strong that you have to repeat the experience again, go ahead, your Father loves to see you trust Him. And if you feel the need to explode into tears of anger, discouragement or thanksgiving, let yourself go (unless it’s rush hour and you’re on a city bus!). That too is therapeutic!
Waiting for the answer to our prayers, such as finding a life partner, can be very stressful. There are days when we are so focused on other projects that we forget our social status. But there are other days where the wait is hard to bear. “it is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord”, sighed Jeremiah when he was really discouraged by his situation (Lam. 3.26 NIV).
David also had these moments of tension when his prayers seem unanswered. “How long, Lord? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me?” (Ps 13.1 NIV) Here, he was waiting for God to rescue him from a different kind of problem than being single, but the feeling is the same. It’s also in the Psalms that David sang his relief : “Those who look to him are radiant; their faces are never covered with shame.” (Ps. 34.5 NIV)
When the pressure of waiting becomes heavy, it’s usually because we forgot an essential ingredient. God never asks us to do something without equipping us to accomplish the task. If He asks us to wait, He also gives us what we need, to do so without being miserable. This precious tool is : trusting Him.
When we trust God, we have peace. When we have no doubt that He has our best interests at heart, we find joy. All the fruit of the Spirit (Gal. 5.22) are manifested in our lives when we trust Him. We finally make the right decisions that lead us to where God wants us to be.
It’s really hard to trust someone that we don’t know well. God doesn’t always tells us His plans or want He is doing in secret for our good. We can’t always hear Him, we don’t see Him, so it is difficult at times to trust Him. Fortunately, we have the Holy Spirit to help us. Who better than Him to know the secrets of the Father? “For who knows a person’s thoughts except their own spirit within them? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God.” (1 Cor 2.11 NIV)
While you wait for “the one”, or for a different answer to prayers, develop a deeper relationship with the Holy Spirit. Perhaps He will tell you where God is, by answering your prayer. Or perhaps the Holy Spirit will show you certain attributes of God that will reassure you while you wait. When the answer seems to take forever to arrive, take a deep breath, and choose to trust God. “Depend on the Lord; trust him, and he will take care of you.” Ps 37.5 NCV)