Hastiness & Lateness • “I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will guide you with My eye. 9 Do not be like the horse or like the mule, which have no understanding, which must be harnessed with bit and bridle, else they will not come near you” (Ps. 32:8-9). God is the author of life. He is the creator of all things & the Father (Source and Sustainer) of all whether you acknowledge Him or not. It is God who “… makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust” (Matt. 5:45). Man is the climax of God’s creation; the pinnacle, you may say. “When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, 4 what is mankind that you are mindful of them, human beings that you care for them? 5 You have made them a little lower than the angels and crowned them with glory and honor. 6 You made them rulers over the works of your hands; you put everything under their feet: 7 all flocks and herds, and the animals of the wild, 8 the birds in the sky, and the fish in the sea, all that swim the paths of the seas. 9 LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!” (Ps. 8:3-9). Then, He places man in time. One day and in a moment, at the climax of time, He will fold time into eternity and time shall be no more. But now, He has given time to man to pursue His desires, goals and designs on earth. Some people invest in time and cultivate harvest for the future both in time and when there shall be no time. Unfortunately, some think they have forever to do whatever! They just “spend” their time. Horses are hasty and mules are stubborn. A strong but unrestrained horse is more of a problem; it is ruled by passion, strength and vigor. It lacks understanding or the discipline necessary to follow the leader. The Word of God gave a prescription for a successful life in time: "do not be like the horse or the mule..." An untrained, unrestrained horse is a pure yahoo – all passion nor brain or discipline. You don’t want to saddle such horse with responsibility or go to battle on the back of such a friendly rebel. The mule hears the instruction but just obstinately refuses to heed, move or follow the instruction. It resists the leader and the lead, but desires to work its own thing and at its own time. Neither animal in the above condition is suitable or profitable! In pruning and grooming parlance, the horse is deliberately broken and consequently suffers a hamstring, while the ox is goaded with a rod of correction or a prick in the extreme. If you live like a natural horse or a mule, you will always end up being hasty or late in life. Hastiness and lateness are twin robbers of life. How can you, man or woman, the climax of His creation, invest your time in things that count in time and eternity successfully without being ahead or behind in time - no pun intended? Whenever God calls you, it is for a reason, a season and a people. Time is always of the essence. However, no of His disciples must go ahead of him or refuse to bulge when He calls or orders a halt. Isaiah said, “Therefore thus says the Lord GOD:“Behold, I lay in Zion a stone for a foundation, A tried stone, a precious cornerstone, a sure foundation; whoever believes will not act hastily” (28:16). Whoever believes in the author of life will not be in haste but will surely wait of the author of the mission to initiate, guide and complete the mission. Seriously, the antidote to hastiness is waiting! “Why do you say, O Jacob, And speak, O Israel: “My way is hidden from the LORD, And my just claim is passed over by my God”? 28 Have you not known? Have you not heard? The everlasting God, the LORD, The Creator of the ends of the earth, neither faints nor is weary. His understanding is unsearchable. 29 He gives power to the weak, And to those who have no might He increases strength. 30 Even the youths shall faint and be weary, And the young men shall utterly fall, 31 But those who wait on the LORD shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint” (Isa. 40:27-31). If you will wait on the Lord, you will be set on right timing. Many believers are restless after hearing from God and rushes ahead with the plan in the hand forgetting that a key element of trusting in God is peace. “You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You” (Isa. 26:3). When the focus, imagination and the entire configuration of the mind emanate from God, trust must follow. The peace of God is always a consequence of trust in God. The peace of God is that calmness, tranquility and serenity that sits heavily on the heart that is in sync with God. The peace of God keeps from lagging behind or leapfrogging ahead of God. When faced with imminent annihilation, King Hezekiah became so confused, puzzled & desperate. He sought help from Egypt, a type of the flesh and the world system, against his enemy, but prophet Isaiah both counseled and rebuked him for doubting God. He advised Hezekiah on the need to be still in God. Hezekiah most probably wrote Psalm 46 in response to this counsel. He said, “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. 2 Therefore we will not fear, even though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea; 3 though its waters roar and be troubled, Though the mountains shake with its swelling. Selah 4 There is a river whose streams shall make glad the city of God, the holy place of the tabernacle of the Most High. 5 God is in the midst of her, she shall not be moved; God shall help her, just at the break of dawn” (Ps. 46:1-5). The question is, "Are you easily moved when under pressure or you are only moved by the Spirit of God to act?" Do you act or react? The peace of God is a fruit (harvest) of the Spirit. It is cultivated by your constant submission to God in all things and in all facets of your life regardless of the tension or pressure you are facing. Paul emphasizes the nature of the kingdom of God and its attributes by boldly declaring that “… the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit” (Rom. 14:17). Peace of God resists the pressure to be hasty! There is another kind of peace. It is the peace in God. Peace in God speaks of great assurance and confidence in God. When I stand on the promises of God as written in His Word when all points to the contrary, then, it can be said that my peace is in God. After all, faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not yet seen. When my confidence is in God and His Words, then nothing else will appeal to me! The way to the peace of God and the peace in God is through peace with God. Peace with God speaks of reconciliation with God. It is the birth of a relationship between the repentant sinner and His Creator, God the Father, through the redemptive grace of God in and by Christ Jesus. Jesus is the Prince of Peace. Jesus is the Way to that peace with God to everyone who will seek reconciliation with Father. “For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, 12 teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age” (Titus 2:11-12). In the context of the conflict between David & the Amalekites (1 Samuel 30:1-10), David in dire distress, refused to be in haste; he consulted God for approval on his intending act; then, he pursed. He was never hasty or late. The Ark of the Covenant enroute Nachon’s threshing floor to Jerusalem (2 Sam. 6:1-8). Uzzah was a good man with zeal and unchecked enthusiasm. He was chosen together with Ahio, the two sons of Abinadab, to drive the new cart. The Ark had been in their father’s house for some time and it was time to move the Ark to a new location. Ahio went before the Ark and Uzzah along with the Ark. Worship and celebration accompanied the entourage. Suddenly, the oxen carrying the Ark stumbled and Uzzah stretched out his hand to stabilize the Ark. He ended up holding the sacred Ark. In these days, we would have considered the act a good intention but God overruled the good intention and called it an error because it violated His protocol – direction and timing! Bible says that God struck him for his errors (2 Samuel 6: 1-8). Power is the ability or skill to do, while authority is the right to do or execute a function. Uzzah had the power and the nearness to reach out to the sacred thing but lacked the authorization. Yet in his zeal, he hastily took over an unassigned responsibility. It was purely a wrong time and an unguided zeal. He was hasty and unrestrained. The city of God and His projects are not designed to be pursued by logic; rather, they are built and executed primarily based on His Word and His divine protocol. When you walk with God, you can not be in haste or be late. Getting ahead of Him is anxiety. Refusing to wake up and rise when He calls is suspended obedience. And suspended obedience is simply disobedience. Both anxiety and disobedience are sins. Sometimes, believers get ahead of God because they think they already have the power – the ability or skill to execute the mission. But they may lack the authorization and the right time to move forward or swing into action. Until you are told to move, don’t move; yet, when you are instructed by God to move, obey instantly and completely.
Posted on: Thu, 12 Sep 2013 18:43:52 +0000