When God Is Late

There isn't anything that God can't do, so why isn't he doing something?

John 11:1-6   A man named Lazarus was sick. He lived in Bethany with his sisters, Mary and Martha. 2 This is the Mary who later poured the expensive perfume on the Lord’s feet and wiped them with her hair. Her brother, Lazarus, was sick. 3 So the two sisters sent a message to Jesus telling him, “Lord, your dear friend is very sick.”

4 But when Jesus heard about it he said, “Lazarus’s sickness will not end in death. No, it happened for the glory of God so that the Son of God will receive glory from this.” 5 So although Jesus loved Martha, Mary, and Lazarus, 6 he stayed where he was for the next two days.

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An urgent message comes to Jesus from his friends Mary and Martha. Their brother, whom Jesus loves, is deathly ill and they are pretty sure that Jesus will want to help him out but Jesus has a bigger plan than they could have known about.

Instead of rushing off to perform a miracle in person Jesus tells his disciples that there is a reason that Lazarus is suffering, he allows Lazarus to endure the pain and misery that led to his death, and not just Lazarus, his sisters would take care of him until be breathed his last breathe and they would deal with the emotions of losing their brother. Jesus tells his disciples that this family is suffering for God's glory and then he stays right where he is.

John 11:12-15 The disciples said, “Lord, if he is sleeping, he will soon get better!” 13 They thought Jesus meant Lazarus was simply sleeping, but Jesus meant Lazarus had died. 14 So he told them plainly, “Lazarus is dead. 15 And for your sakes, I’m glad I wasn’t there, for now you will really believe. Come, let’s go see him.”

A lot of people were not happy with Jesus and his choices, the disciples didn't like the idea that Jesus finally wanted to go to Bethany because not too long ago a crowd wanted to stone him, Mary and Martha blamed Jesus for the emotional distress of caring for their dying brother, the sorrow of seeing him die and having a funeral.

Sometimes we aren't very pleased with God or sometimes the way that he is working in our lives makes no sense to us. It seems that our request get ignored just like the messengers that were sent to tell Jesus about Lazarus.

John 11:40-44 Jesus responded, “Didn’t I tell you that you would see God’s glory if you believe?” 41 So they rolled the stone aside. Then Jesus looked up to heaven and said, “Father, thank you for hearing me. 42 You always hear me, but I said it out loud for the sake of all these people standing here, so that they will believe you sent me.” 43 Then Jesus shouted, “Lazarus, come out!” 44 And the dead man came out, his hands and feet bound in graveclothes, his face wrapped in a headcloth. Jesus told them, “Unwrap him and let him go!”

What we need to realize is that it's not all about us but rather it is all about God, like Mary and Martha, we will say, "God, if you loved me, you would do this." But God says, "I want to do something bigger." Jesus may have sounded insensitive when he said that he was glad that he wasn't there to help but Jesus had a bigger and better plan; he was probably thinking , "wait until you see this."

The reason for the delay? The reason for the prayer before the miracle? Both of them were for us so that we would see God's glory.

We are heirs of God's glory!

Romans 8:17-18  And since we are His children, we are His heirs. In fact, together with Christ we are heirs of God's glory. But if we are to share His glory, we must also share His suffering.  18  Yet what we suffer now is nothing compared to the glory He will reveal to us later.  

We can't see the big picture from our point of view. The waiting didn't make any sense to Abraham as he was waiting for a son, it didn't make sense to God's children as they waited for Pharaoh to give in, and it didn't make any sense to them as they circled Jericho for a week before they attacked.

God's delays prove to be for our benefit, they help to increase our faith, they change our perspective towards heaven and they allow us to see God at work in a bigger way.

Psalms 121:2-4  My help comes from the LORD, who made heaven and earth!  3  He will not let you stumble; the One who watches over you will not slumber.  4  Indeed, He who watches over Israel never slumbers or sleeps. 1 Peter 5:6-7  So humble yourselves under the mighty power of God, and at the right time He will lift you up in honor.  7  Give all your worries and cares to God, for He cares about you.

God has proven himself to be faithful and when he can't see him at work or we don't have a clue what he is doing we know that we have every reason to trust him and his promises.

Inspired by an Andy Stanley podcast: When God, Part Three - When God Is Late

Quietly Waiting

We don't like to wait and we usually aren't quiet about it.

Psalm 130:5-6  I wait for Yahweh; I wait and put my hope in His word. 6 I wait for the Lord more than watchmen for the morning — more than watchmen for the morning

Lamentations 3:26  It is good to wait quietly for deliverance from the Lord.

Micah 7:7  But I will look to the Lord; I will wait for the God of my salvation. My God will hear me.

Psalm 37:7  Be silent before the Lord and wait expectantly for Him

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Waiting, we don't like it, we don't like to take a number, we want to be served immediately. It is really the most basic form of selfishness, we want to be served and we want it now, I don't deserve to wait. We become unhappy customers real quick and we will probably make some noise about it certainly somebody else needs to hear that I am waiting

We take the same attitude with God, we want service now, fix my problem, answer my prayer, get rid of my pain. Again, we become unhappy customers. Problem is, God isn't running a business in the free enterprise system and your immediate satisfaction isn't a concern.

God's word tells us that it is good to wait and it is good to do it quietly and with anticipation, expecting him to answer us in his timing. We forget that God isn't a slave to our calendar, he has a plan and purpose that was  created long ago and he made his plans with much greater wisdom than we have to make our plans.

Help me Lord to wait on you quietly. 

Patience Until Christ Return

That's a long time to be patient, I can't wait!

James 5:7-12 Therefore, brothers, be patient until the Lord’s coming. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth and is patient with it until it receives the early and the late rains. 8 You also must be patient.

Strengthen your hearts, because the Lord’s coming is near. 9 Brothers, do not complain about one another, so that you will not be judged. Look, the judge stands at the door!

10 Brothers, take the prophets who spoke in the Lord’s name as an example of suffering and patience. 11 See, we count as blessed those who have endured. You have heard of Job’s endurance and have seen the outcome from the Lord. The Lord is very compassionate and merciful.

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We used to say that something boring was about as much fun as watching the grass grow. Just imagine the fun that you will have while you are waiting for the seeds of patience to grow. It seems to take forever to before the seedlings pop up from the dirt and then you still have a long way to go before you get to eat any fruit.

James tells us that we have to live a lifestyle of patience until the day that Christ returns. Being patient isn't a natural instinct and nobody gets patient overnight, people will get at you and irritate you, they will talk bad about you and judge you (James 5:9) and they will treat you like Jobs friends treated him.

 

Nobody is after me right now but when they are I need to remember that God is in control (James 5:8) and he will reward me for my endurance and patience (James 5:11). I need to be able to wait without becoming annoyed or anxious.

Lord help me to be extend grace to those that are annoying, help me to see them as you do, with compassion and mercy.

God's Waiting Room

SCRIPTURE

Genesis 16:1 Now Sarai, Abram's wife, had given him no children; and she had a servant, a woman of Egypt whose name was Hagar. 2 And Sarai said to Abram, See, the Lord has not let me have children; go in to my servant, for I may get a family through her. And Abram did as Sarai said. 3 So after Abram had been living for ten years in the land of Canaan, Sarai took Hagar, her Egyptian servant, and gave her to Abram for his wife.

Genesis 16:16 Abram was eighty-six years old when Hagar gave birth to Ishmael. 17 Then Abraham went down on his face, and laughing, said in his heart, May a man a hundred years old have a child? will Sarah, at ninety years old, give birth?

Genesis 18:11 Now Abraham and Sarah were very old, and Sarah was past the time for giving birth. 12 And Sarah, laughing to herself, said, Now that I am used up am I still to have pleasure, my husband himself being old? 13 And the Lord said, Why was Sarah laughing and saying, Is it possible for me, being old, to give birth to a child? 14 Is there any wonder which the Lord is not able to do? At the time I said, in the spring, I will come back to you, and Sarah will have a child. 15 Then Sarah said, I was not laughing; for she was full of fear. And he said, No, but you were laughing.

Genesis 21:5 Now Abraham was a hundred years old when the birth of Isaac took place.

OBSERVATION

Sarah was tired of waiting on God and gives Abraham an evil temptation.

The other day my family was trying to leave Steak n Shake and we stood at the counter for several minutes with employees standing around looking at us waiting to pay and then just looking away. I finally saw our waiter and asked him out loud if anybody wanted our money.

God has a waiting room for us to sit in, he asks his children to wait for a lot of good things:

For mercy - Ps 123:2     For pardon - Ps 39:7,8     For the consolation of Israel - Lk 2:25     For salvation - Ge 49:18; Ps 62:1,2     For guidance and teaching - Ps 25:5

For protection - Ps 33:20; 59:9,10     For the fulfillment of his word - Hab 2:3     For the fulfillment of his promises - Ac 1:4     For the hope of righteousness by faith - Ga 5:5     For the coming of Christ - 1Co 1:7; 1Th 1:10

APPLICATION

I will remember Isaiah 40:31:

But those who are waiting for the Lord will have new strength; they will get wings like eagles: running, they will not be tired, and walking, they will have no weariness.

PRAYER

Lord give us all the grace to wait patiently for you. Help me to be patient each day in this hurry up world.