A WORD FOR TODAY, September 20, 2013 “And Jehovah answered me, and said, Write the vision, and make it plain upon tablets, that he may run that readeth it. For the vision is yet for the appointed time, and it hasteth toward the end, and shall not lie: though it tarry, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not delay.” Habakkuk 2:2-3 (ASV) Madeline Rockwell once wrote a story about her grandparents for Reader’s Digest. One night they were startled out of sleep by a commotion in the chicken house. Grandma quickly ran outside and discovered a large black snake inside. She didn’t have anything to kill the snake, so she stepped on its head with her bare feed and waited for Grandpa. After waiting for some time, Grandpa showed up fully dressed. When he saw Grandma, angry and tousled, he said cheerfully, “Well, if I’d known you had him, I wouldn’t have hurried so.” Imagine what it must have been like for the grandmother to stand for so long with a snake under her bare feet. I am sure she experienced fear, anger, doubt, exasperation, panic, frustration. I am sure she became impatient with the grandfather as she waited for him to come. We do not like to wait for anything, but when it comes to situations that could be life or death, we are particularly eager for the end to come. We want peace so that we do not have to be afraid. We want a solution to our problems and we want them right now. Yet, there are many things that do not come instantly, particularly peace. At a time like this, peace seems so far out of reach that it is impossible. Jesus Christ promised that we will know peace, but that peace won’t come with diplomatic agreements between nations. It is an eternal peace, a peace that is beyond human understanding. It is a peace that comes from trust in God, faith in His promises. We long for the day when all God’s promises are fulfilled completely and finally. We long for the day that Jesus will come in glory. We desire a world where there is no longer sin, death, tears, sickness, danger, anger, hatred, greed and lust. We want the end to arrive so we can rejoice in the fullness of God’s presence. God’s time is not on our schedule. He does not delay; He will come at the appointed time. We wait in hope and faith, knowing that He will be true to His Word. The promises of God were fulfilled in the life, death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ, and yet we have not fully realized the promises. Though the peace that Christ promised is ours today, there are still things in this world that cause us to live in wonder, doubt and fear. Grandma knew she was safe, but she was ready for the experience to end so that she could go back to bed and rest. We wait the end even though the end had already come. In faith we know that the end has come but is still coming. The peace is ours, but will be made complete. May God grant us all the patience so that we can wait for His time.
Posted on: Fri, 20 Sep 2013 15:17:09 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015