“You make known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand” (Psalm 16:11).
The phone rings. It’s just the eye doctor. I send the call to voice mail and surrender to tears.
Please, Father. Give me answers. It’s court day. I’m waiting to hear if our foster daughter will stay with us for six more months or if she’ll go back to her biological mother. I slide my phone over so as not to sob over the screen. I text a veteran foster mama, hoping she can predict the outcome. She can’t say for sure. I text another foster mama. Goodness, how about I just throw the question out to my Facebook foster group? Someone. Must. Know.
God, please. You know. Let me know, too.
And just like that, I was a modern-day Eve—desiring answers more than I desired Abba, my Father in heaven. Eve had the honor of walking in the cool of the evening with her Father God. She had unimaginable intimacy with the craftsman of her soul. Yet when she was offered the chance to know more—more than the presence of God—she bit. “When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it” (Genesis 3:6, emphasis added).
Eve traded intimacy for information. Soon after, Eve and her husband “hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden” (Genesis 3:8 NASB). I do the same thing. Most of the time, my appetite to know what God has planned overtakes my desire to walk with him. When he doesn’t share his plan with me, I run from him. Sometimes I flee in anger, sometimes in shame, sometimes dragging grief, but always looking for someone else to tell me what the Lord won’t.
The trouble is, the moment I pull myself from the presence of the Lord, anxiety rises. I do crazy things (like sew dresses out of fig leaves), and my joy deflates. Because only in the presence of the Lord is the fullness of joy. Only by spending time with him will he make known the path of life. And yes, waiting for answers is exhausting, but “those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength” (Isaiah 40:31 NKJV).
I turned my phone on silent, closed my eyes, and prayed, “Father God, help me to pursue your presence over understanding your purposes. I want you, Abba, more than I want answers.”
I know now that answers, knowledge, even wisdom do not give peace. Peace is not a revelation; peace is a person—Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace. May you hunger for his presence and taste his perfect peace. “The Lord replied, ‘My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest’” (Exodus 33:14).
Unless noted otherwise, Scripture quotations are from the New International Version of the Bible.
About the writer: Jenna Marie Masters is a Jesus follower, writer, and biblical counselor passionate about leading women to intimacy with Christ. Connect with Jenna at @marked_by_love
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