“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 26 – “No ‘When? In God”

      “Time” involves beginnings, endings, and the sequential passage of events occurring within the span therein.  When thinking of God, therefore, we must recognize that He cannot be limited to this temporal measure since “from everlasting to everlasting, Thou art God” (Psalm 90:2).  Our Lord had no beginning, He will have no ending, and He views all things with an infinite understanding based not on the sequence of events occurring in past, present, and future, but rather on the timeless perspective of “known unto God are all His works from the beginning of the world” (Acts 15:18).

     There is no “When?” in God.  As A.W Tozer once wrote, beautifully, “The flutter of an angel’s wing a thousand years hence is as known unto God as it were occurring in this moment.”  As completely mind-boggling as such a concept may be, I personally know of no greater peace-imparting truth for the trusting heart.  The One to whom we have committed our lives and eternities sees perfectly all circumstances, conditions, and events as if they were but one moment.  God knows every detail of our past, enabling Him to administer complete redemption from our sins.  He anticipates all that will transpire in the future, making possible perfect planning for every contingency.  Moreover, He knows the present moment with a precise clarity whereby the Lord Jesus Christ comprises God’s supply in exact accordance with our current need.  Thus, we need never ask the Lord, “When will You be what I need You to be?”  He simply is, in this moment and forevermore.  “Before Abraham was, I am” (John 8:58).

  

    As blessed as this truth may be, it also presents to us a profound challenge of faith.  Indeed, when all around us seems to be crumbling, how can we view God as our present supply?    When the past seems filled with catastrophic impact on the current moment, how do we look back with anything other than regret?  And when no solution or hopeful prospect paves the road lying ahead, whence comes the confidence of “My expectation is from Him?” (Psalm 62:5).  Our answers lie in the doctrinal understanding of God’s timelessness, and of the wonder of no “When?” in Him.  “Blessed be the LORD God of Israel from everlasting, and to everlasting” (Psalm 41:13).

     “He is” proclaims the Word of God.  “I Am” declares the Spirit of God.  “You are” testifies the church of God.  Never need we wait for our Lord to be who He is to us.  Never must we ask “When?”  We rather confess, “You are, Lord,” and then discover the perfect faithfulness of the timeless God who “inhabiteth eternity” (Isaiah 57:15).

“The eternal God is thy refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms.”

(Deuteronomy 33:27)

“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)

“Whence We Go”

    Because God’s “Where?” is always “Here!”, the hearts of born again believers in the Lord Jesus Christ can rest in assurance and peace.

“I am with you always.”

 ~~~~~~ 

    The little boy couldn’t believe his ears when one evening, his father announced, “Tomorrow, son, it’s time for you to go into the deep, dark woods!”

    Many times, the boy had watched his father venture into the vast stand of trees that surrounded the family property. One of the things he loved and admired most about his dad was the man’s seeming fearlessness concerning the dangers that might lie in the woods.

    “Uh, Dad, did you say you think I should go into the deep, dark woods?” The boy gulped as he replied, hardly looking at his father because he so feared that he might have heard correctly the first time.

    The man replied without hesitation, even smiling as he did so. “Yes, son, tomorrow’s the day. I have no doubt that you’re ready, and I’ll wake you up at the crack of dawn for a good breakfast, and then, a journey into the forest. Your first journey!

    The boy slept little through a long, restless night, and he ate even less of the “good breakfast” his father had prepared as the sun rose on what would be a fateful day. “You’re not hungry, son?” asked the father. The boy looked at his dad, feeling too uncertain about things ahead to speak, lest he betray the fear he felt deep within. “No sir, not really” said the boy, speaking  barely above a whisper. “I guess I’m just thinking about the trip into the deep, dar… The boy cut his sentence short, not even wanting to say the words.

    After breakfast, the father told the boy to gather the things he might need in the woods, and fill his backpack. “I’ll meet you out by the poplars,” he told his son, referring to a stand of hardwoods where an opening allowed entrance into the forest.

    When the boy arrived at the spot, his dad was not yet there. This gave him time to look at and into the woods. They were beautiful, no doubt, especially as the rays of the rising sun shone through the branches and leaves. He had loved to view them for as long as he could remember, from a safe distance, and he often lingered as he watched his dad disappear into the forest for his trips. How brave was his father! And how much the little boy felt he was not like him! A sense of shame began to couple with the fear churning inside, and tears formed in his eyes just as he heard his father’s footsteps approaching.

    The man reached his son, and put his arm around the boy’s shoulder. “All right, son, are you ready?” The boy quickly wiped a tear and looked up at his father. “Yes, Dad, I think so. I think I’m ready.”  

    The father replied, “Me too, son. I’ve really been looking forward to this day. There are things in the woods I’ve wanted to show you since the day you were born. So let’s get going!”

     As his father began to walk toward the opening in the poplars, the boy stood still, frozen by the words he had just heard. Once again, he could hardly speak, but as best he could, the boy called out to his father, who had already reached the opening. “Dad… Dad, are you going with me?”

     The father stopped in his tracks. Turning to look at his son, he smiled and reached out for the boy to join him. “Son, of course I’m going with you! You’re not yet ready for a journey into the deep, dark woods by yourself. Someday you will be, but this is not that day. No, not yet. Yes, I’m going with you into the deep, dark woods. We’re going together, and I’m going to show you things I could never describe to you with words. It will be wonderful, and like I said, I’ve been waiting for this day!” The man looked into his son’s eyes. “Are you ready?”

    Needless to say, the little boy was ready. He was more ready to journey into the deep, dark woods than anything he had ever pondered doing. His dad was going with him! His brave, strong father would accompany him every step of the way, and now the vast forest portended not of fear and uncertainty, but rather promised the wonder of discovery and awe. “Yes, I’m ready, Dad” the boy almost shouted. “I’m ready to go into the deep, dark woods!”

~~~~~~~~

     So long as we go with our Heavenly Father, it matters not whether we venture unto shining summits whereupon vistas of beauty await our awed eyes, or into deep, dark woods that threaten with seeming peril.Whence we go, we shall not go alone. “I am with you always” promised the Lord Jesus, “I will never leave thee nor forsake thee” (Matthew 28:20; Hebrews 13:5). Our Lord’s “Where?” is always “Here!” Thus, we can face anything and everything with the assurance that the Lord Jesus will be everything we need Him to be in every moment, in every contingency, in every venue. Always with us, never to leave us - this is the promise of He who cannot lie. Our response? Yes, Father, I am ready!

“The Lord of hosts is with us, the God of Jacob is our refuge.”
(Psalm 46:7)

 

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