“The meek will he guide in judgment: and the meek will he teach his way.” (Psalm 25:9)
Problems are easy to see. Answers are the difficult thing. When men, in their own minds, try to address problems they only compound them. We walk humbly with God when we know our limitations. It is entirely appropriate to sit bewildered before a mess. Ezra was stunned when informed that the children of Israel, after returning from captivity, had gone back to intermarrying the people of the land. “So when I heard this thing, I tore my garment and my robe, and plucked out some of the hair of my head and beard, and sat down astonished.” (Ezra 9:3)
The enormity of a problem should get us quickly to prayer, not to work. Before we do anything we need to bring ourselves to God. Ezra’s next move was to fall to his knees: “At the evening sacrifice I arose from my fasting; and having torn my garment and my robe, I fell on my knees and spread out my hands to the Lord my God.” (Ezra 9:5)
To be quick to anger and action never leads to God’s right answer. In broken acknowledgment that only He knows how to make the crooked straight, we are wise to wait on Him for how to think and what to do. Sometimes, to do nothing is not an option. What we do may only be a band-aid, but it is all He wants us to do. Other times we are to do nothing but pray. But prayer is our most important work. It is often needed not only to bring God into the equation, but to take us out of it. When we do move, we move only at the instruction of God.
This world is now busy at work, attempting to fix problems they cannot fix. God is letting them discover their impotency and folly. Wisdom is found in meekness. Meekness is not high-minded or self-willed. It waits on God, knowing He alone has all the answers and all the power needed to fix anything or anyone. Waiting on the Lord is never a waste of time; it is the most judicious use of our time, because it keeps us from becoming part of the problem. Only by turning to God in the face of vexing problems can we ever become part of the solution.