Do you ever feel God nudging you to take action, but when you look at the circumstances, conditions don’t seem favorable for success? As a result, you procrastinate. You postpone. You tell yourself you’re waiting for the perfect time.
I’m a cautious, better-to-be-safe-than-sorry type of person. When I have to make a decision, I explore all options and consider all possibilities. You won’t find impulsiveness or risk-taking in my toolbox.
But sometimes I can be too cautious. Lately, I sense God prompting me to step out in faith, but fear grabs me by the arms and holds me back. The outcome seems uncertain; I don’t know if my efforts will be successful.
If conditions aren’t optimal, does that mean God doesn’t want us to move forward?
This past fall, as I studied the book of Ecclesiastes, some verses in chapter eleven caused me to rethink my hesitation:
“Whoever watches the wind will not plant; whoever looks at the clouds will not reap.” (Eccl. 11:4 ESV)
If God tells us to plant, we shouldn’t wait until we’re certain no wind will blow away our seed. If he tells us it’s time to reap, we shouldn’t wait for a day with one hundred percent chance of sunshine.
Ecclesiastes tells us we can’t know the future and we won’t understand all of God’s plans. We have to take chances and pursue various opportunities. Some may succeed, some may fail.
“As you do not know the path of the wind, or how the body is formed in a mother’s womb, so you cannot understand the work of God, the Maker of all things.Sow your seed in the morning, and at evening let your hands not be idle, for you do not know which will succeed, whether this or that, or whether both will do equally well. “ (Eccl. 11:4-6 NIV)
Pull up stakes and move?
Start a new venture?
Change careers?
Have that difficult discussion?
Mend a broken relationship?
Start a family?
Write a book?
Is something holding you back?
Fear keeps us from taking chances. The winds and clouds and the potential of failure intimidate us, so we do nothing.
Indecision sometimes paralyzes us. We’re not sure we can make the right decision, so we do nothing.
Laziness is sometimes the culprit. We simply don’t want to do what God calls us to do. We’re reluctant to face the challenges and do the hard work, so we make excuses.
Selfishness might be the reason we don’t move forward. Obedience to God is often costly. We wonder if it’s worth the risk. We don’t want to make the sacrifice or pay the price.
Doubt can creep in. How do we know we’re really hearing from God?
