Scripture: Psalm 27:13-14; Romans 8:24-26; Acts 1:4-8; 1 Timothy 1:15-17; Habakkuk 2:2-3
Today, we begin an examination of the lessons that scripture has always presented to us, but which we may have forgotten about. And as I thought about where we might start to find some of those lessons, in addition to directly from the teaching of Jesus, the book of Acts came to mind.
In this book, we find many stories about how the message of Jesus began to thrive and grow in many different people and in many different ways. Take the disciples as an example. When we leave them at the end of the gospels, they are just beginning to discover the depth of truth that existed in all of the LORD’s parables, in His sermons, in His healings, and in all that He did and said throughout His 3 years of ministry.
And the disciples were the least of the learners – the Pharisee Saul would come to know the incredible and total change that Jesus can bring to our life; Gentiles would no longer just be the central theme of some of Jesus’ teaching – they would become the focus of transformation, in not only what faith could be, but what it must be in Christian culture and Church; and the story of women in faith would grow and bring its own truth to light – a truth that had been overlooked for centuries, and will continue to be misunderstood for many more.
But I think that one of the hardest lessons for many of us to learn has to do with understanding that God’s timing has far more to do with infinite grace than it does with our concept of time. So for today, our lessons begin with considering the importance and blessings of discovering God’s way through “patient waiting”.
Read Psalm 27:13-14
The psalmist offers us insight into four aspects of his faith:
The first is confidence – he trusts that all that
the LORD
God has promised will come to be. Faith
without trust and certainty in God’s word is no faith at all.
The second is that by this confidence, he knows that
his God is good, and will share that goodness with all who follow Him, that when
we are with the LORD, we will know true life through Him.
The third is his acknowledgment that he needs to wait
for God’s goodness to arrive. Trusting
that it will come, though, doesn’t mean that you already have it. Jesus told Thomas, in essence, that seeing has nothing to do with believing,
but when one believes and trusts without seeing, when the confidence
that you have is so strong that it is no less than knowing, this is the
proof of faith. (John 20:24-29)
And the fourth is that as we wait in confidence, we wait
in strength by taking heart – in other words, we wait without doubt, and nothing
will cause us to turn away from the certainty that God will come through.
Nothing should ever deter us in faith, no matter how long we must wait.
Read Romans 8:24-26
Paul is telling the Church that hope is at the core of Christian faith, for without it, salvation becomes just another lost commodity. But more than that, he is telling us that an impatient hope is little more than a worldly desire! When we hope in the LORD, it fulfills the certainty of God within our life. Through faith in Christ, hope becomes convincing; hope becomes proof; Godly hope goes beyond anything that the world can offer or even conceive.
And the hope of Christ demands patience, because we either trust in the word of God, or we don’t. Remember that we have never been given a day and time for anything that comes from our LORD! So as we wait upon the arrival and fulfillment of God’s promise, we wait with the knowledge that it will bring joy and surprise and amazement and a previously unknown power that only God could provide.
And the Spirit will help us whenever we slowly begin to doubt. Paul’s use of the word “weakness” has nothing to do with the lack of physical strength – he is referring to the deterioration of faith. And when we begin to slip in our trust that God’s word is absolutely firm and true, and we don’t know how to get it back, we can always call out to the Holy Spirit, and He will be our intercessory. Imagine – when doubt begins to overwhelm us, when patience flees from our faith, God will pray to God on our behalf!
Can it get any better than that?
Read Acts 1:4-8
This is the promise of Pentecost, and it, too, requires waiting in faith and trust. Jesus is telling His faithful that the promise that He had given them is on the way, and it will involve an anointing by the Holy Spirit. The disciples weren’t actually sure what this would mean for their lives, and they interpreted it as the time that Messiah was expected to renew the nation of Israel in power, prestige, authority, and presence.
But in Christly fashion, He doesn’t actually answer their question, except to say that the anticipated power of God won’t be bestowed upon Israel, but instead, upon all who are faithful to His teaching. Wouldn’t it be so much easier if the LORD would just let us know when it all was going to happen? We could count down the days, or years, or at least know that it wasn’t going to be until long after we had left this life!
But if we knew the day and time, what would that do to our faith? What would it do for our waiting? It is guaranteed that faith would suffer, and waiting, not to mention patience, would be put off until another day! And even though the disciples and other faithful people didn’t actually understand what Jesus was telling them, they trusted that this gift of God would bless them beyond all expectation. And so it would.
Read 1 Timothy 1:15-17
As Paul writes this letter to his young friend Timothy, he is encouraging him to stay faithful, just as Christ has been faithful in all that He is for us. He cites himself as an example of the patience that the LORD had shown to him. Jesus had shown the love of God to, as Paul describes himself, “the worst of sinners”! And if Christ can be patient with someone like Saul, well, why not … – well, you get the point!
And why would God want to be patient with Paul? With us? With anyone for that matter? He wants the world to see what he can do for and through the likes of you and me. Paul may have been the worst of sinners, but we aren’t far behind him, you know! And by the example that Christ is showing to us, He is, at the same time, showing His grace and mercy, and patience, to the rest of humanity. We are part of all that the LORD does, and we should be thankful for the time we have with Him in the here and now.
Read Habakkuk 2:2-3
Habakkuk was an impatient prophet. At the opening of his book, we find him calling out to Jehovah God, asking “How long, O Lord, must I call for help, but you do not listen?” (Habakkuk 1:1-4) The prophet wanted his God to deal with those who were oppressing Israel, and he wanted it to happen right then and there! But by the beginning of chapter 2, he was beginning to understand, and now he has a powerful message for all who believe and wait for God’s time with patience.
First, he says that we are to “write it down”, so we never forget it, and then in plain words and truths, to share it with others. Divine patience is not for us alone – it is to always be an example to the world. Remember when you came to Christ, and surrendered your life to Him to use in His way? What were your friends’ reaction to the change that had come over you? One person told me – “You’re different today! What happened this weekend?” I guess that was plain enough for some!
And Habakkuk reminds us that God has a time that is already established, and that nothing can ever interrupt, or delay, or disrupt that timing. But it is equally certain, that this day and time will not come when we think it should. So wait with patience, as we run the race of faith.
Hebrews 12:1 – “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us”
May it be so with each of us.
