Monday, October 1, 2012

“Wondering”. . .Fascinated By God, and By His Truth


(Friends: during this series, the messages may frequently be longer than usual due to the subject matter.  Thanks for your patience, and I think you will find the considerations interesting, and hopefully, helpful in our walk with the Lord.  Glen)

Part 25 – “Just As Long As It Takes”

     God’s “When?” elicited  bewildered inquiry from no less than David, the Psalmist and King of Israel. 

    “How long wilt Thou forget me, O LORD?   Forever?   How long wilt Thou hide Thy face from me?” (Psalm 13:1).

     God had not forgotten David, nor had He hidden His face from the man declared by the Lord to be “after Mine own heart” (Acts 13:22).  He had, however, worked in David’s life according to His own timetable, wherein “a thousand years in Thy sight are but as yesterday when it is past, and as a watch in the night” (Psalm 90:4).  Our Lord bases His “When?” upon perfect knowledge, analysis, and possession of all the salient facts of every circumstance, situation and condition.   Thus, He schedules His involvement in our lives according to the pristine perfection of loving wisdom whereby He is never early and never late in accomplishing that which is best for both His interests and ours.

     As with David, gazing at earthly clocks tempts us to wonder, and to question.  Moments, hours, days, weeks, months, and even years sometimes pass with no apparent Divine activity to deal with challenges in our lives.  We have prayed, we have prayed long, we have prayed earnestly and we have prayed with as much sincerity as possible.  But nothing seems to happen.   “How long, o Lord?” we cry, but no answer is forthcoming.

     In such epochs of difficulty and bewilderment, the hand of God may well be more active than in times when His working seems obvious.  “He that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep” (Psalm 121:4).  We may not know what God is doing.  We can, however, know that He is working out perfect purposes for the glory of the Lord Jesus, our well being, and the well being of those around us.  Long journeys of faith when all seems dark actually involve long administrations of faithfulness wherein our Heavenly Father works out the intricate details of coordinating all things together for good in our lives.

    “As for God, His way is perfect” (II Samuel 22:31).  How long?  Just as long as it takes to do that which is best.  Not a second more, and not a second less.  No matter how strongly or how often we face the temptation to believe otherwise, this is truth and reality.  Let us encourage and challenge each other often with the remembrance that “My ways are not your ways” involves our Lord’s schedules for our lives.  They proceed according to the perfection of His love, wisdom, ability and purpose.  Indeed, “just as long as it takes…”

“My times are in Thy hand.”
(Psalm 31:15)

No comments: