Everyone in this world faces challenges and difficult decisions, and the women in the Church of God are no exception. We face things like where to work, who to marry, whether to marry, what to buy, when to move, where to move, what to do, what to say. One of the most difficult aspects of life is making wise decisions. Sometimes when the stresses of life hit us and we think we're not getting an answer to our prayers fast enough, we choose to take things into our own hands instead of waiting for God to answer in His perfect time and perfect way. Throughout the Bible are examples of those who released their grasp on their lives and allowed God to steer them where He needed them to go. Unfortunately, there are also examples of those who were too impatient and stubborn to obey God's direction in their lives. Looking for the Official "Okay" After the southern Kingdom of Judah went into captivity in Babylon in 586 B.C., a remnant of the people left behind in Judah decided to flee to Egypt, forcing the prophet Jeremiah, his secretary Baruch and King Zedekiah's daughters to travel with them. At Chimham, near Bethlehem, the people finally decided to ask God if He would clear their flight plan. "All the people, from the least to the greatest, came near and said to Jeremiah the prophet, 'Please, let our petition be acceptable to you, and pray for us to the Lord your God, for all this remnant (since we are left but a few of many, as you can see), that the Lord your God may show us the way in which we should walk and the thing we should do'" (Jeremiah 42:1-3). How many times have we done this too? We decide in advance the course of action we're going to take, head our lives in that direction and then suddenly decide to put on the brakes long enough to get God's blessing for something we've already decided to do. We don't want Him to disagree with us—we just want Him to give us the official "okay" for what we've already decided. That's what the Jews on their way to Egypt did. They didn't really want God to tell them to stay in Judah. They were afraid of Babylon's King Nebuchadnezzar. They wanted to go somewhere they perceived was safe and secure—failing to see their only hope and security rested entirely in God's hands. So Jeremiah prayed for them. But even though this was God's beloved prophet Jeremiah, God still took His time answering his prayer. He didn't answer in one hour or even one week. "And it happened after ten days that the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah" (verse 7). But God gave Jeremiah a message the Jews didn't want to hear. He told them not to flee—to stay put, that He'd take care of them and rebuild their nation. "'Do not be afraid of the king of Babylon, of whom you are afraid; do not be afraid of him,' says the Lord, 'for I am with you, to save you and deliver you from his hand. And I will show you mercy, that he may have mercy on you and cause you to return to your own land... Do not go to Egypt!'" (verses 11-12, 19). The Jews should have been thrilled! God was telling them they had nothing to worry about. He was promising to protect them so they could stay in their own land. Most people would have breathed a sigh of relief to have such a confirmation of support coming from the supreme Ruler of the universe. But they didn't, because they'd already made up their minds. They didn't really want God's input in their lives. How many times do we do this? How many times do we find ourselves in a situation where we know God's will, know what His Word says, but choose to do things our own way rather than wait for His answer? God knew the Jews' hearts, even as they were making the pretense of asking Jeremiah to pray for them. Jeremiah knew it too. He told them, "For you were hypocrites in your hearts when you sent me to the Lord your God, saying, 'Pray for us to the Lord our God, and according to all that the Lord your God says, so declare to us and we will do it'... But you have not obeyed the voice of the Lord your God, or anything which He has sent you by me. Now therefore, know certainly that you shall die by the sword, by famine, and by pestilence in the place where you desire to go to dwell'" (verses 20-22). God gave the Jews 10 days to correct their attitudes—10 days to turn back to Him and decide in their hearts they were going to go where He wanted them to go, to do what He wanted them to do. He gave them 10 days to really become servants of the living God, glorifying Him in everything they did in their lives. But the power of those 10 days had no effect on that remnant of Judah. Instead, they chose to blatantly disobey Him. "So they went to the land of Egypt, for they did not obey the voice of the Lord" (Jeremiah 43:7). Their impatience and stubbornness eventually cost them their lives in the place they'd rationalized they'd be safe—Egypt. Having the Faith to Wait Six centuries later, those who formed the first Church of God were also put in a difficult situation. Their Lord and leader Jesus Christ had been arrested and crucified. At first, many of His followers went into hiding, afraid they would suffer the same fate. But those in A.D. 31 made the right decision. For 40 days the resurrected Christ had taught them, eaten with them, encouraged them. They put aside their fears and decided to trust God with their decision making. As Christ prepared to ascend to heaven, He told His disciples to wait for further instruction and direction. "He commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the Promise of the Father...He said to them, 'It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His own authority. But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth'" (Acts 1:4, 7-8). In total faith they waited, vowing in their hearts they would do whatever He wanted them to do, to go wherever He needed them to go. Again, God waited 10 days to answer their prayers. But the disciples were more faithful than the ancient Jews who ignored Jeremiah's message from God. Christ's disciples didn't waver. Instead, they "all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication" (verse 14). The disciples waited for God's direction, gladly asking Him to guide them. And that's exactly what He did. He gave them power to do His will and build His Church. At the end of 10 days, God's Spirit literally rushed in, filling them—and the house where they were praying—with His life-changing power on the Day of Pentecost (Acts 2:2). "And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance... Then those who gladly received [Peter's] word were baptized; and that day about three thousand souls were added to [the Church]" (verses 4, 41). It's not easy to wait. But God has a special blessing for us if we trust and obey Him. Christ said, "Do not fear any of those things which you are about to suffer. Indeed, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and you will have tribulation ten days. Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life" (Revelation 2:10). The subject of seeking God's direction and making wise decisions is a big one. Not only do we have to make sure we aren't just asking God to rubber-stamp what we want to do, but we have to make sure we don't use waiting on God as an excuse for not doing what we should ourselves. When we pray for God's guidance, we should study His Word for that guidance, seek wise counsel, count the cost, decide and then energetically do what we believe God would have us do (Luke 14:28; Ecclesiastes 9:10). See "Wise Advice for Wise Decisions" at www.ucg.org/issues/gn29/wisedecision.htm for more on this. Women in the Church are not immune to tough situations where it seems none of our options are what God wants us to do. Sometimes the wise choice and direction from God is just to wait. In such cases, we must decide in our hearts to wait patiently—no matter how long it takes—for His guidance and to obey His Word. Patience can be truly powerful. UN