Be still in the presence of the LORD, and wait patiently for him to act (Psalm 37:7 NLT).

Last winter, a friend and I drove to Indianapolis to see our university's men's choir sing the National Anthem at a Pacers basketball game. We didn't have tickets, but we didn't think it would be a problem to find some at the last minute. Sure enough, I began impulsively bartering with a scalper just a few blocks from Conseco Fieldhouse. When all was said and done, I was pretty proud of myself for talking the scalper down to $7 for an $18 ticket.

My friend Amanda, on the other hand, chose to bide her time. She waited until we got inside, where she stopped at our school's alumni table and then asked at the ticket window, just checking her options. Finally, right before the game started, an older man approached us out of nowhere and asked, "Do you need tickets? Here are two free ones."

Needless to say, Amanda and I were both surprised and grateful for his generosity--and I was very frustrated at having wasted seven dollars. Especially because by this point, I was seriously doubting whether the scalped ticket I'd bought was even real!

It seems God has been teaching me an awful lot of lessons like that lately, about patience and waiting on Him. I didn't have a ticket, so I grabbed at the first chance I had to get one--and I got ripped off. Amanda didn't have a ticket, either, but she waited--and she got exactly what she needed, under better circumstances than she expected.

David instructs in the Psalms, Don't be impatient for the LORD to act! Travel steadily along his path (Psalm 37:34 NLT). I can't count how many times I've grabbed for something because it seemed like a good thing--only to find out that, if I would just wait on the Lord, He has something even better in store.

That's our tendency, I think. We see what looks like an open door ahead, and at first glance, it really seems like an answer to prayer or a gift from God. So we charge right on through. But if we would just wait; if we would just be patient and trust Him to make Himself clearly known, we'd find that instead of getting something okay, we'd get God's best.

I think we can all agree in saying that we'd rather have God's best than have something that's just okay. And I'd definitely rather have God's best than have something counterfeit that the enemy tries to sell me. So the next time you see something you think you need or want--even if it seems like a great thing--wait patiently for the Lord to act. He will come through for you in ways that will be a million times better than if you take matters into your own hands.

--Amy Kaylor

O LORD, you hear my voice...I lay my requests before you and wait in expectation (Psalm 5:3 NIV).

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