Thursday 20 January 2011

Wait for Him


Although you say you do not see Him, Yet justice is before Him, and you must wait for Him. – Job 35v14

‘Wait on the Lord, be of good strength, wait, I say, on the Lord.’

‘They that wait on the Lord shall renew their strength. They will mount up on wings like eagles. They will run and not be weary; they will walk and not faint.’

‘It is good for a young man to bear his afflictions and to learn to wait on the Lord.’

‘Be joyful when you face various trials because when your faith is tried it produces patience and patience brings maturity when it is allowed to work.’

We could go on and on with passages like this. The word of God is replete with them. Waiting on God is good for us. I, for one, never like to wait. I like immediate gratification. I want what I want and I want it now.

Our world today has contributed to instant gratification and instant knowledge. If we wanted to find out some information we used to have to look in a book and if we didn’t have the book we have to go to the library to find out the answer. Then, for a few years we had to get to a computer, go online with that lovely old sound of computer connecting with phone line, and muddle through the internet to find an answer.

Now we whip out our phones and google it - instant answers to all our questions.

I love it. I really do. My wife says the only reason I wanted a smart phone was so that I could fact check by googling it! We no longer have to wait to find out the answer.

Sometimes I wish I had a spiritual Google. Wouldn’t it be great if we could whip out our phones and find out why we are going through a battle? Wouldn’t it be great if we could just know right here and right now?

Humanly speaking we might think that, but God knows better. I am not so sure that google answers are great for us. I think it may be making us intellectually lazy. We don’t have to know anything now; we can just look it up. We may be carrying our brains in our pockets. I am not sure that is a good thing.

God knows that the only way to really learn and grow is by experience. That’s why it is a good thing to bear our afflictions and learn to wait. Waiting builds us and strengthens us for the battles to come.

Isn’t it interesting to note that in the first Bible book recorded Elihu was wise enough to know this truth? ‘You say you can’t see God Job? Just remember this – God is just and you have to wait for Him.’

That kind of settles it doesn’t it. I don’t always get it. I may not see God at work. But, He is just. Sometimes I just have to wait on Him.

4 comments:

Laura said...

What Bible translation do you use?

Naas Preacher said...

I use the NKJV for my personal devotions. The quotes today were paraphrases.

Naas Preacher said...

Or parrowphrases as I normally put it.

Laura said...

So you paraphrased it. I knew it wasn't KJV and wondered. Thanks.