Good News for You Today: FROM SLIPPERY PIT TO ROCK SOLID Two questions to get your engine roaring: 1) On a scale of 1 to 10 (1 = Im so easy-going, molasses seems slow; 10 = Im so consistently high-strung, I carry extra guitar strings just in case), what is your patience level while waiting for something to happen? 2) Have you ever been stuck in a slimy pit? Actual mud hole or metaphorically? Did you jump in or were you pushed? Ive been hanging out in Psalm 40 for a week or so, seeking to mine its depths. Heres a little of the gold. I hope these truths relax you and give you hope if you are facing slimy walls. I waited patiently for the LORD; He turned to me and heard my cry. (v. 1) I used to be a 10 in question #1 above, but as Ive grown spiritually and chronologically, Ive mellowed a bit. But Im not sure I still faithfully mimic the verse above -- the patiently part. I expect God to act for me immediately. I know He is listening. He hears my every whimpered sigh and translates them into words. So He knows what I need. But He doesnt always answer according to my time plan. How come? Sometimes He is creating character in us that only time can forge, just like He did in four Bible guys, two of them notorious for being a 10. Abraham was promised by God himself in an actual visitation that he and Sarah would finally have son who would be the progenitor of descendants as numerous as the stars and sand. But year after year after year and Sarah got no baby bump. In fact, 25 years went by before 90-year-old Sarah came running to Abe and said those fateful words, Guess what, honey? Moses is a prince of Egypt for 40 years, then because God wasnt acting fast enough for the Hebrews, he tries to start a revolution himself. That got him another 40 years in the slammer of the north side of the desert tending sheep until the time was right. David was chosen by God to be king while the present king Saul still ruled. God promised him hed be king over all Israel. Only in increments did he rule the land and people. He waited decades for Gods full promise to come true, even as he ran for his life, encountered many troubles and proved his faithfulness. Paul, the fierce persecutor of Christians pre-encounter-with-Jesus, did meet the One he was persecuting and then waited how many years before he got to tell the world about his Damascus road divine hijacking? Paul spent 7 years in Gods home school where he was the only student. What are you waiting for? What kind of school or wilderness or training or partial fulfillment are you experiencing? Not only is God character-building, but He is also giving you opportunities to experience His faithfulness in ways you never expected. Your Papa is also getting that person, that nation, that connection ready so that the answer to your prayer brings the most fruit! This verse has meant a lot to me in the last year: We do not want you to become lazy, but to imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised. (Hebrews 6:12 He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; He set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand. (v. 2) A slippery pit will not be your permanent home, rather an immovable rock is your sure abode. Sorrow may last for a night, but joy comes in the morning. Thats Gods promise for all His kids! A babys laugh did fill Abrahams tent when Isaac was born, Moses did see the Red Sea part, then engulf Egyptian chariots, David was/is Israels greatest king and Paul became the greatest missionary evangelist ever born. Character built; patience instilled; faithfulness encountered; legacies assured. Rock solid! As Susan and I celebrate 17 years of marriage tomorrow, Im so grateful I waited for her (mostly impatiently). Most of my friends were married and well into raising a family by the time I said I do but praise be to God, my slimy pit of singleness (wherein I knew God heard my prayers, cared, meant me to be married, but didnt seem to be lifting a finger to help me for 10 years) became a rock hard place to stand with the best partner in the world. Was the school/wilderness worth it? Yes! My character was hewn, I experienced God faithfulness in ways I never had. I learned to trust in Jesus more. He was setting me up for exquisite victory! Was it easy? No. But spectacular joy came in the morning and 6205 mornings since our wedding! That One who gives joy as our strength understands what you are going through. He sympathizes with our weaknesses. For He too felt weak. His cry: Take this cup of suffering from me, please! Dad heard His Son, but didnt remove the cross from Jesus. Jesus slimy pit was full of snakes and all the putridness of and penalty for every sin you, me and every person ever committed. He couldnt climb out. He died there. Ah, but His dead body was lifted out of mud and the rock that held Him in the tomb became His firm place to stand and reign so that your pit doesnt become your final resting place! And once made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him. (Hebrews 5:9) Of all the guys highlighted above, I love Abraham the most. Though he was impatient during his 25 year wait and took matters into his own hands (see Genesis 16 for the story and how it is responsible for all past and present hostilities between Jews and Arabs!), the New Testament doesnt record his failure and impatience, only his trusting perseverance. Incredibly Romans 4 declares, Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and so became the father of many nations, just as it had been said to him . . . Without weakening in his faith, he faced the fact that his body was as good as dead -- since he was about a hundred years old -- and that Sarahs womb was also dead. Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, being fully persuaded that God has the power to do what he had promised. vv.18-21 Read those faith-igniting verses again, please! You have the same faith and all Gods promises always come true! I love you, PPaul
Posted on: Fri, 25 Jul 2014 16:48:15 +0000