Are We There Yet? Part 1
There are times as Christians, and as humans for that matter, it seems like we're constantly playing the waiting game. Waiting for dreams to come to pass; Waiting for Mr or Mrs Right; Waiting to have children; Waiting for children to grow up and leave the nest; Waiting to get a job...the list goes on and on. You'd think by now we would have mastered the art of waiting but our lack of patience is evident in our everyday lives, from microwaveable foods to drive-thrus. In fact, this generation has been often called the "microwave" generation. We want everything now, now, NOW! We rush into things like relationships, business deals, etc because waiting doesn't seem to be in our vocabulary. It seems we are rushing to get nowhere fast!
As Christians though, we are encouraged to master the art of waiting. Now waiting can paint the picture of passivity, but that's not the case. Waiting on God is actually spiritual warfare; It is actively and confidently expecting God to do what He said He'll do, in His timing. The Word of God says, "..those who wait for the Lord [who expect, look for, 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...; they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint or become tired. [Isaiah 40:31, AMP]
There are those times in our walk with God when what we are believing for happens immediately. Then there are those times, more often than not I might add, when we'll have to walk "through the valley of the shadow of death" (Psalm 23:3). Notice, it says "shadow" of death. Your circumstance is merely a hint, a faint semblance of "death" so to speak, but be encouraged...you will see the goodness of God in the land of the living (Psalm 27:13).
It's often been said that God is always on time...He's never late but rarely early. So, why doesn't God just save us the torture of waiting and come to our rescue immediately? Hmmm...good question, I'm glad you asked! There are so many reasons, and it doesn't include God trying to torture us. Let's delve into the story of Lazarus to gain further insight!
Lazarus was the brother of Mary and Martha, and he was extremely ill (read John 11 for context). The sisters, knowing Someone who could do something about it, sent a message to that Someone, Jesus. Now, we see something very interesting happen here. Jesus, instead of immediately going to heal Lazarus, waited. Why would He wait? It's not as if He couldn't change that circumstance with a flick of His hand. Is it that He did not love Lazarus? That's not it because John reminds us that Jesus "loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus [they were His dear friends, and He held them in loving esteem.] (John 11:5, AMP). So, why did He wait? Jesus answers this question when He says, " This sickness is not to end in death; but [on the contrary], it is to honor God and to promote His glory, that the Son of God may be glorified (by) it." (John 11: 4). Further examination also leads us to conclude that it was because Jesus loved them that He stayed where He was without going to heal Lazarus (John 11:6). In fact, He waited till he was dead and buried to do something. Until then, the people had seen Jesus do numerous healings, but it was now time for the people to experience the power of God at a whole new level. Jesus reveals this truth when He tells His disciples, "'Lazarus is dead, and for your sake I am glad I was not there; it will help you to believe (to trust and rely on Me)..." (John 11:15). In a sermon yesterday, my pastor mentioned that in the Jewish culture, they believed that when one dies, the spirit of that person hangs around for about 3 days. After that, the person was thought of as completely dead. It's no coincidence then that Jesus waited 4 whole days before doing anything about it. He was making sure that everyone would realize the magnitude of what He had done. If Jesus had come earlier, they would have falsely assumed that He was able to resurrect Lazarus because his spirit was still hanging around. Jesus was having none of that! He boldly proclaims, "I am the resurrection and the life" (John 11:25).
Sometimes, God will wait till it seems too late to resolve your situation. Too late to get married. Too late to have children. Too late to save your marriage. Too late have that dream career. Too late! What have you been waiting and believing for? Your difficult trials and circumstances can sometimes have the stench of death. Nothing can be done to to change my circumstance, you think. But remember, it's only a shadow of death, not death itself. If your situation has the stench of death, not to worry...God likes it that way. Why? Is God being sadistic? Au contraire! From the story of Lazarus above, we can highlight several reasons God allows us to wait:
We will delve further into this in part 2 of this encouragement next week. Until then, remain blessed and keep expecting, because God is getting ready to show up and show out in your life!!!
Stay tuned!
As Christians though, we are encouraged to master the art of waiting. Now waiting can paint the picture of passivity, but that's not the case. Waiting on God is actually spiritual warfare; It is actively and confidently expecting God to do what He said He'll do, in His timing. The Word of God says, "..those who wait for the Lord [who expect, look for, 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...; they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint or become tired. [Isaiah 40:31, AMP]
There are those times in our walk with God when what we are believing for happens immediately. Then there are those times, more often than not I might add, when we'll have to walk "through the valley of the shadow of death" (Psalm 23:3). Notice, it says "shadow" of death. Your circumstance is merely a hint, a faint semblance of "death" so to speak, but be encouraged...you will see the goodness of God in the land of the living (Psalm 27:13).
It's often been said that God is always on time...He's never late but rarely early. So, why doesn't God just save us the torture of waiting and come to our rescue immediately? Hmmm...good question, I'm glad you asked! There are so many reasons, and it doesn't include God trying to torture us. Let's delve into the story of Lazarus to gain further insight!
Lazarus was the brother of Mary and Martha, and he was extremely ill (read John 11 for context). The sisters, knowing Someone who could do something about it, sent a message to that Someone, Jesus. Now, we see something very interesting happen here. Jesus, instead of immediately going to heal Lazarus, waited. Why would He wait? It's not as if He couldn't change that circumstance with a flick of His hand. Is it that He did not love Lazarus? That's not it because John reminds us that Jesus "loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus [they were His dear friends, and He held them in loving esteem.] (John 11:5, AMP). So, why did He wait? Jesus answers this question when He says, " This sickness is not to end in death; but [on the contrary], it is to honor God and to promote His glory, that the Son of God may be glorified (by) it." (John 11: 4). Further examination also leads us to conclude that it was because Jesus loved them that He stayed where He was without going to heal Lazarus (John 11:6). In fact, He waited till he was dead and buried to do something. Until then, the people had seen Jesus do numerous healings, but it was now time for the people to experience the power of God at a whole new level. Jesus reveals this truth when He tells His disciples, "'Lazarus is dead, and for your sake I am glad I was not there; it will help you to believe (to trust and rely on Me)..." (John 11:15). In a sermon yesterday, my pastor mentioned that in the Jewish culture, they believed that when one dies, the spirit of that person hangs around for about 3 days. After that, the person was thought of as completely dead. It's no coincidence then that Jesus waited 4 whole days before doing anything about it. He was making sure that everyone would realize the magnitude of what He had done. If Jesus had come earlier, they would have falsely assumed that He was able to resurrect Lazarus because his spirit was still hanging around. Jesus was having none of that! He boldly proclaims, "I am the resurrection and the life" (John 11:25).
Sometimes, God will wait till it seems too late to resolve your situation. Too late to get married. Too late to have children. Too late to save your marriage. Too late have that dream career. Too late! What have you been waiting and believing for? Your difficult trials and circumstances can sometimes have the stench of death. Nothing can be done to to change my circumstance, you think. But remember, it's only a shadow of death, not death itself. If your situation has the stench of death, not to worry...God likes it that way. Why? Is God being sadistic? Au contraire! From the story of Lazarus above, we can highlight several reasons God allows us to wait:
- To reveal His Glory (John 11:4)
- To reveal His love for us (John 11:5-6)
- To mature and help us believe and trust in Him (John 11:15).
We will delve further into this in part 2 of this encouragement next week. Until then, remain blessed and keep expecting, because God is getting ready to show up and show out in your life!!!
Stay tuned!
You have amazing wisdom for such a young woman. You are the perfect example of the blessings and knowledge that come from diligent study of God's word. You inspire me.
ReplyDeleteHmm the WORD of God is power,it has the ability to revive every dead situation. Christ is that word...
ReplyDeleteyou know what ministers to me: I am in a waiting period and right now it seems dead but I WAIT. I have also felt mocked cos it seems slow in man's timing which almost makes me feel like accelerating in my strength but God has used you to remind me to wait not to enter a microwave for fast food lol
[τ̲̅н̲̅a̲̅nκ̲̅ ч̲̅o̲̅u̲̅],waiting for Part 2
That was awesome to read. I am in a waiting period myself right now learning how to wait on God's timing, rely on Him and doing a lot of maturing!
ReplyDelete"Sometimes God will wait til it seems too late to resolve your situation." Such an excellent message (and a hard pill to swallow when you're in the thick of things). One thing I've come to realize about Our Father is that he's sort of like Superman. I mean, if situations never arose that called on someone to save or fix a situation, we'd never need him; he'd never have any reason to demonstrate & use his power - life would be like Clark Kent - dull and average - and to a mighty God like ours, what an unfulfilling existence would that be?
ReplyDeleteThat's a great analogy, Nicki! Love it! :)
ReplyDelete