Turning to the disciples, He said privately, "Blessed are the eyes which see the things you see, for I say to you, that many prophets and kings wished to see the things which you see, and did not see them, and to hear the things which you hear, and did not hear them. " (Luke 10:23-24 NASB)
This is a continuation of part 29 of this series. You can read that post in a separate window here.)
We saw in the previous post that, for those who see the mighty works of God, the blessing is "long and lengthy". It sticks with us, changes us, and leaves us different (better) than before. In the verses above, Jesus said those who see the works of Christ were especially blessed because so many prophets and kings had longed to see the Messiah, had longed to hear the Messiah, had waited for the Messiah, but never saw or heard. The time was not right. (Eventually, of course, they did see and hear the Messiah, but only in eternity.)
That waiting, that hoping, that longing for the Messiah was not pointless. It was not just a fantasy. It was waiting based on fact, the fact that the Messiah was coming. The problem is that God's perspective on time is different from ours, eternal rather than temporal. In fact, everything about His timing is different from ours, isn't it? He waits until the time is right to move, in contrast to our desire for immediate action.
There is a tendency to think that only the ones who saw and heard Jesus were blessed. The ones who waited for Him, however, were also blessed. Their blessing was not of seeing and hearing, but of believing in what they had not seen and heard. Theirs was a blessing of faith that gave them a relationship with their God that was filled with hope, longing, and anticipation. They were constantly watching for the fulfillment of the promises of God.
In our society, we have been molded by the fast-food culture to expect instant results and that has extended to our prayer life. We expect God to move and to move right this minute, as if the Omnipotent God would consult us for His timetable! Because of our inherent impatience, we have lost some of the joy in waiting that the prophets and kings of old enjoyed, we've forgotten that God still moves in the midst of the waiting. The delay is never wasted. There is a constant sense of anticipation and joy that comes from believing before seeing and waiting until God moves, if we are willing to persevere in the delay.
Are you waiting for God to move? Have you become impatient and weary in His delay? Take heart! The delay is not wasted. The waiting is not without point. Delay is not synonymous with denial. Perhaps God is using the time to mold you (and me) into the people He wants us to be... before He moves to answer our prayers. In the meantime, thank Him for the blessings you do see and wait with anticipation for the ones you don't.
We saw in the previous post that, for those who see the mighty works of God, the blessing is "long and lengthy". It sticks with us, changes us, and leaves us different (better) than before. In the verses above, Jesus said those who see the works of Christ were especially blessed because so many prophets and kings had longed to see the Messiah, had longed to hear the Messiah, had waited for the Messiah, but never saw or heard. The time was not right. (Eventually, of course, they did see and hear the Messiah, but only in eternity.)
That waiting, that hoping, that longing for the Messiah was not pointless. It was not just a fantasy. It was waiting based on fact, the fact that the Messiah was coming. The problem is that God's perspective on time is different from ours, eternal rather than temporal. In fact, everything about His timing is different from ours, isn't it? He waits until the time is right to move, in contrast to our desire for immediate action.
There is a tendency to think that only the ones who saw and heard Jesus were blessed. The ones who waited for Him, however, were also blessed. Their blessing was not of seeing and hearing, but of believing in what they had not seen and heard. Theirs was a blessing of faith that gave them a relationship with their God that was filled with hope, longing, and anticipation. They were constantly watching for the fulfillment of the promises of God.
In our society, we have been molded by the fast-food culture to expect instant results and that has extended to our prayer life. We expect God to move and to move right this minute, as if the Omnipotent God would consult us for His timetable! Because of our inherent impatience, we have lost some of the joy in waiting that the prophets and kings of old enjoyed, we've forgotten that God still moves in the midst of the waiting. The delay is never wasted. There is a constant sense of anticipation and joy that comes from believing before seeing and waiting until God moves, if we are willing to persevere in the delay.
Are you waiting for God to move? Have you become impatient and weary in His delay? Take heart! The delay is not wasted. The waiting is not without point. Delay is not synonymous with denial. Perhaps God is using the time to mold you (and me) into the people He wants us to be... before He moves to answer our prayers. In the meantime, thank Him for the blessings you do see and wait with anticipation for the ones you don't.
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We often want a "fast food" answer to our prayers when what we need is the "crock pot" solution that allows God to do His work completely, both in us and our situation. If you are weary in waiting for the answer to your prayer, here's something that can help. The Waiting: When the Answer to Your Prayer is Delayed and Your Hope is Gone, is available here. Also available in Tupelo at Joyful Creations and Park Place Salon.
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Here's the link to last night's post, Learning From Experience.
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