Foster finishes up chapter two by offering one more counsel to those in a wilderness time with God. His advice is simply to "Wait on God. Wait silent and still. Wait attentive and responsive. Learn that trust proceeds faith." I was talking with a friend last week about spiritual disciplines and I commented that one of the most difficult practices is that of solitude. Waiting on God is difficult. In silence with God our minds keep rehearsing every trouble and reviewing every unanswered question. We don't want God to confront us with the real issues buried deep in the inner man. We use the imposter self to defend and rationalize our own way. Our struggle with God is one of trust. God can finally begin his work once we trust him and surrender. Waiting on the Lord is so important. Personally, my strategy to make it through has always been to refuse to quit. There is no going back and no retreat. Jesus Christ is all there is for me. He is everything and without him there is no meaning or purpose in life. So after all my self pity, spiritual pride, excuses, striving and self reliance are gone, I hold fast and wait on the Lord.
Foster tells us to "firmly and deliberately...say, 'I do not understand what God is doing or even where God is, but I know that he is out to do me good.'"
