Have you ever played Chess? Better yet, have you ever WATCHED a chess tournament? Silence and Strategy are the champions. Moves are figured out in advance and, if played to the max, the “checkmate” move comes unexpectedly and victoriously!

The difference in winning and losing is all in one word: Strategy.

The way the chess pieces are moved is everything! Knowing the way the pawn, the knight and the bishops move and protecting your King takes study, practice, and most of all, patience.

The one person from the bible that seems to have developed his strategy from one of immense error to one of tremendous skill is David, a man “after God’s own heart.”

What was SO special about David was that David LEARNED to “wait upon the Lord.”

Sometimes there is nothing we can do about our circumstances except stand our ground. We can feel that our lives are out of control and we can feel helpless to change anything. I believe God allows these times to show us that we don’t HAVE to control everything but simply brings us to the end of ourselves so that WE RUN TO HIM and seek HIS STRATEGY in our situation.

He certainly allowed this to happen in the life of David.

He has allowed this to happen in my life.

I’ve seen God do this in the lives of my Christian friends. He reminds us , sometimes in MAJOR WAYS…that HE is IN CONTROL , not us. When He begins to take hold of the reins of our lives, we become very uncomfortable! Even though we might have prayed; we might have asked Him for His Will…sought Him with a true heart….once He begins to move and go into action for real, we can become disconcerted and baffled until we realize that we must learn to LET GO and LET GOD.

Please keep in mind that I am not writing this to infer that I have this thing all figured out or that I have reached a state of sublime victory in this area!! Far from it!!! I struggle with this very thing every day of my life and perhaps that is why it is so strong upon heart to share with you some particular verses that have uplifted me so many times! For, it is always in “our weakness” that “His Strength is made perfect”! It is only when WE LET GO and give all our struggle to God that we UNTIE HIS HANDS to MOVE like He so desires!

I’ve been brought to this “crossroads” time after time in my walk with the Lord. One thing I know for sure: every time, every situation has been different…and God HAS ALWAYS met my need. He has not always given me what I’ve asked for, but HE HAS ALWAYS met my need!

How can that be? It can be because of this fact: I DO NOT ALWAYS KNOW WHAT I NEED!!!

A confession of immense truth!

So many times, I have cried out to God in prayer to answer a need in my life only to find out that His answer directed itself to another area of my life that He wanted to deal with and in that, my original need was met! So much of the time we try to “fix things”…We try to figure it out, do it our way, read self help books ( Please, not that all of these are bad!)…INSTEAD OF…SIMPLY LETTING GO AND WAITING UPON GOD!!

The Holy Spirit is a Gentleman and He will not “butt in” where He is not welcome! The Holy Spirit is also a “person” (the THIRD PERSON of the Trinity!) and like the true representative of Christ, which He is, He will not simply PUSH our will out of the way and do whatever He likes. He will LEAD us, as we allow Him to, to understand that we can trust Him.

This is a daily walk, a daily thing, a constant light shining before us as followers of Jesus Christ!

As long as we decide to do everything our way, as long as we keep the door to Jesus Christ and His Will closed, He will not take over. He will allow us to have our own way. I know because I lived this way for many years! I did it my way! I almost never came out of that mindset, but I thank God today that He has helped me and is still helping me! I thank God He has increased my trust in His Fatherhood and His Love for me!!… (and is STILL doing so!) How has he done this?

Through His Gentleness.
Yes.
Through His Gentleness.

There is a scripture that I love! It is Psalms 18: 35:

David said: “You have also given me the shield of Your salvation and your right hand has held me up: Your GENTLENESS has made me Great!”

Wow! ….So many of us did not grow up with true gentleness. We did not understand we were truly loved! We did not know a loving father and we were not taught the scriptures in our homes. It was difficult for some of us to UNDERSTAND that Jesus loved us! So….we tried to do things our way because it was all we knew! Many of us felt that if we were not smart enough, talented enough, or strong enough…we were not “good enough”, even for God’s kingdom!!

Oh, how God desires to tear down the above myth! Oh, how He desires for us to realize His Love that we might LET GO and TRUST HIM, therefore UNTYING HIS HANDS to move in our situation!!!

God has made every provision for us through His Son Jesus Christ! His unconditional love and forgiveness are there for each of us! All we must do is allow Jesus to come in and take over as KING! All we must do is relinquish the throne of our hearts to Him and trust Him not only for our eternal salvation through faith in His Son, Jesus…but for EVERY DAY …simple daily living. The strategies of victorious living are are found in Christ and His Word! Our acceptance into His Kingdom is only by the Grace HE has afforded to us at the cross of Calvary! Our strategies, talents and abilities make no difference in our acceptance into the Kingdom of Heaven! …so that none would boast! But Grace is a fountain freely flowing, freely given by the Father to bring us to a level of trust we have never known!

Sometimes God sends a person into our lives.

It might be someone we would never have an association with outside of God’s intervention. It might be disconcerting! It might be someone of a different socio economic realm, or a different color, or a different sex, or a different age…it matters not to God! He sends a person. He sends a messenger and He doesn’t tell us about who they are, or why He sent them! He just does it and then He waits and watches to see if we will begin to see His Hand in this thing! ….If we catch on…we will begin to flow in the stream of His will, in the relationship(s) He desires for us to have! If we don’t, He will be patient and continue to teach us until we understand !

Sometimes I see God as a wise father sitting on his side of the “chess board” of my life. I am sitting across from him and we are working the board. He is teaching me even in His silence. He is waiting on me, also…waiting for me to learn, waiting for me to trust Him because ….guess what?

He wants ME to WIN!!!

See, He has ALREADY WON!!!
Now…..He wants ME to WIN!

He wants YOU to WIN!

He has won the game! He sent His Son, Jesus the King…..who has already defeated the black team!! Jesus knows every move! Jesus knows and IS the Way! Our Father….is simply waiting on us to release His Victory into our lives!!

I see myself at the chess board becoming frustrated, even angry and then feeling so defeated because I can’t figure out the strategy!…When, finally, I simply lay my head down upon the board and give up in tears, a light breaks over my mind as I give in to the Master Player!!…..I ask Him what to do and give up my control to Him.

Suddenly, like lightning flashing through a midnight sky, the answer comes! Suddenly, hope renews! Suddenly….I WIN!

God is Good. All the time.

David said, “The Lord is my Rock, my Fortress, and my Deliverer; my God in whom I WILL TRUST and take refuge, my Shield, and the strength of my Salvation, my high tower.”

He is mine also.

He works a situation out in ways we cannot dream of!

David also said, “ I waited patiently and expectantly for the Lord and He inclined to me (that means He stooped His ear down!)…and heard my cry!!…He drew me out of a horrible pit and out of the miry clay, steadying my steps and establishing my goings.” (Amplified bible)

Folks, we need to wait upon Him.

In these difficult days when marriages and families are being so challenged, we need to seek and find the strategies of God in our lives!

Isaiah 40:31 was not written in vain.

“Those who wait upon the Lord and hope in Him shall change and renew their strength and power. They shall lift their wings and mount up (close to God) as eagles (mount up to the sun) they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint or become tired.”

Lord Jesus, help us to “untie” your hands of mercy in our lives by allowing you access into every situation we are struggling with! Help us and strengthen us Lord in our waiting upon you! We so desire to “mount up as eagles to the sun!” We desire to LET GO of our control, and depend upon you at a deeper level of trust! Lord Jesus, in our weakness, be our strength! You are our HOPE, our FORTRESS and our HIGH TOWER! We exalt you and believe you for renewed faith in these difficult times! In your name we pray, Amen.

Article is copyrighted by Sondra Stallman.
May not reprint without permission from author.