How long Lord? Will You forget me forever? Psalm 13:1 NASB
“Timing is everything.”
I’ve often used the familiar quote, and it’s so true. But waiting is difficult. Doubts and fears set in, and we second-guess ourselves, plans, and decisions.
Later, we often learn the timing had a positive impact. God may have protected us from harm. Or we were in the right place at the right time to receive a blessing, connect with someone special, or get a great job or promotion.
God is in the apparent delays. His timing is always perfect. We can’t be in a hurry as we wait for the Lord because He doesn’t rush into things. And we shouldn’t worry while we wait. He hasn’t forgotten us. The Lord works behind the scenes to accomplish His will and answer prayers.
God has a reason for delays. He has a greater plan and purpose. Instead of despairing and giving up, we can look up. He will accomplish something big, although we may never see what He is doing.
David tells about the benefits of waiting on the Lord throughout the Psalms. He describes many of his trials and how he waited and directed his prayers to God as he did.
On many occasions, I’ve trusted God in the waiting, knowing His timing for all things is perfect and beyond my limited expectations—when moving out of state, returning to college, finding the right home, and launching a career.
Trust God to do something great in His perfect timing.
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Karen Huffaker is a freelance Christian writer. She has taught children’s Sunday school and single mom’s Bible studies and written poetry. She is from the Deep South and loves reading Christian books, devotionals, genealogy adventures, fishing, and all things family. She is also passionate about her grandchildren’s sporting events.
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And even when you ask, you don’t get it because your motives are all wrong—you want only what will give you pleasure. James 4:3 NLT
We settled for less because we didn’t know we could have had
more.
My wife and I sat across the table from a couple I’d soon help
renew their wedding vows. Since we hadn’t seen them in quite some time, we
enjoyed catching up on each other’s lives. Most of the conversation centered on
grandchildren. Then we finalized the details of the renewal ceremony. They had
been together for twenty-five years and wanted to celebrate. When the waitress
stopped by, we placed our orders. My wife ordered her usual: chicken fingers.
When our meal was over, I heard the husband whisper to the
waitress, “Bring me the check.” My wife and I both protested, but to no avail.
Then being the comic she is, my wife quipped, “I should have ordered ribs.” Our
host replied, “You should have.” We settled for less when we could have had
more.
Obviously, we’re not the only ones who do that—and not just
with a meal someone buys for us. James indicates that our entire lives experience paucity simply because we don’t ask God to make them any better or because our motives are tainted.
Lack of faith that God can actually deliver what we want or
need will result in living without those things. God wants us to ask to
demonstrate our dependence on him. He’s promised to give us those things we
need to survive and do his will, but he wants us to request them, nevertheless.
When we bring our prayers and supplications to him, we experience a growth
spurt in our faith. He doesn’t need the info; we just need the practice. He
will give us the courage to step out in faith to do whatever he instructs us to
do.
Living with less also occurs when we ask for things outside God’s
will. Learning the difference between wants and needs is essential if we want
to receive the things we pray for. We have the ability to know God’s mind. What he wants to give us are life essentials—food, clothing, and drink—and the things we’ll need to accomplish his plan for our lives. All we have to do is ask.
Don’t settle for chicken when you can enjoy ribs.
Father, increase my faith so I won’t settle for less than you
want to give me.
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Take your son, your only son . . . and go to the land of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains. Genesis 22:2 NLT
Pete was obeying God, so why was his life falling apart?
The events unfolded slowly at first, then more rapidly. Pete
had answered God’s call to full-time ministry a number of years before. Now
events with enough explosive power to derail all that were taking place—circumstances
that weren’t his fault and were also beyond his control. Decisions had been
made that would affect the rest of his life. He saw a resignation in his
future. He saw other churches not wanting to call him as pastor. He didn’t
understand why God allowed this.
Depression stalked Pete for more than a year after the ground
completely disappeared from beneath him. Not until he gave up his right to
understand was he able to finally move forward into other areas God opened for
him.
Peter was forced to do what Abraham had to do. God promised Abraham
a son through whom millions of descendants would come. Now God asked him to
sacrifice that same son. How in the world would the descendants come if the son
was dead? But he didn’t question God. He had enough faith to believe God could
resurrect his son.
God promises to love us unconditionally, use us in His service, gift us with talents and special abilities, and work all things
together for our good, but he never promises we’ll understand all the ways he’ll
work to accomplish that. Pete didn’t, Abraham didn’t, I haven’t, and millions
of others haven’t either.
A crucial element of following and serving God is giving up
the right to understand his ways. By faith, we must believe he works to form us
more each day into His Son’s image. By faith, we must trust that what comes out
on the other side will be spiritually healthier than what’s on this side. If we
could always understand God, we’d be like God . . . but we’re not.
Following God is a journey of faith that includes rarely
understanding what he’s doing or why. When we give up this right, it frees him
to do things in and through us he would not otherwise accomplish.
Let God be God in your life whether you understand him or not.
Father, give me the faith to trust you regardless of how
things appear.
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Dead ends faced me in every direction I turned.
Every fall, when apple-picking time arrived, my wife and I, along with our daughter and her two boys, made our way to Hendersonville, North Carolina. We enjoy the scenery, love the apples, and enjoy watching the grandboys play on the various attractions.
One activity we always enjoy entails walking through the corn maze. Walking through a cornfield where the corn reaches higher than my six-foot frame brings back fond memories—memories of doing the same as a boy as my cousin, and I ran through our grandfather’s corn fields.
The corn maze also reminds me of an attraction at the local fair where I grew up in Orangeburg, South Carolina: the Glass House. As I recall, I only mustered the nerve to do it one time. Everywhere I turned, I hit a glass wall. I finally made my way out, but not before panic set in.
While I enjoy the corn maze, I always feel a sense of anxiety when walking through it. Paths lead in all directions. I have no way of knowing which one will lead me to the end of the maze. Fortunately, I have my wife ahead of me, and she has a better sense of direction. But even with her excellent nose, we hit several dead ends. A sign greeted us, telling us we had come the wrong way.
Since the corn stalks stretch tall like a church steeple, seeing over them to find a landmark that would direct us back to the apple barn was impossible. Finally, we made our way out. Although I was a little anxious, I did not panic. In this case, I knew I could walk out of the field if I wanted to and see where I was.
Not so easily solved with COVID-19, which hit in full force during 2019-2020. People in China contracted it initially, and many died. Suddenly, the virus left China and marched across the world. The number of infected grew—and thousands died. With no cure available, panic grew. Toilet paper disappeared from shelves like a chicken thief with his goods—even though diarrhea was not a symptom of the virus. Hand sanitizer followed. My wife and I walked through retail and grocery stores and saw empty shelves. People hoarded food items as well. Doomsday thinking reigned.
Panic had a domino effect. Sporting events were axed. Churches canceled services. The President of the United States declared a national state of emergency. Governors closed schools. Even the private school where I teach closed. Everywhere, panic and anxiety rose and multiplied. People were encouraged to social distance themselves from places where fifty or more people would be gathered—then ten. Restaurants closed their dining areas and only opened the carry-out or drive-thrus.
Panic also gripped God’s people. They had just left four hundred years of slavery in Egypt. As they made their way toward the Red Sea, the king of Egypt—who had changed his mind about letting them go—hounded them. When the children of Israel looked around, they saw Pharaoh and his armies behind them and the Red Sea in front of them. Moses, their leader, told them to stay calm. The Lord would fight for them. Moses’ message was the same I heard from official after official during the Coronavirus: stay calm.
When panic over dire circumstances sets in, we should remember a big but comforting word: sovereignty. The Bible attributes this trait to God. He is in control. He has not stepped away from his throne, where he rules the world.
God will also watch over His children. This does not mean we won’t succumb to the sickness, but God will give us wisdom to do what we need. And if a disease or natural disaster should snatch our lives away, God has an eternal home awaiting us. Knowing this, however, should not prevent us from taking every precaution we can. God gives us a mind to use and His Spirit to guide us along proper courses of action.
Trust is the key. God tells us not to be anxious or worry. He will supply our needs. Whatever we’re anxious about, we can present to him in prayer, and he will give us a peace that exceeds our understanding.
Panic sends a bad message that we think things are out of control, but they aren’t. God controls the timing and the duration of the situation and uses it for his good purposes—as well as ours.
When circumstances appear out of control and you are tempted to panic, remember who controls the situation.
Father, I look to you to lead me away from panic and fear and to trust instead.
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He would call out from his bedroom, “Don’t bother me. The door is locked, and we are all in bed. I can’t help you this time.” Luke 11: 7 NLT
They were our neighbors, and they loved Christmas.
The first church I pastored was a small congregation located
several miles out in the country. Our next-door neighbors were a retired pastor
and his family. Although it was only him, his wife, and their adult daughter,
they had a large extended family.
When the Christmas holidays arrived, so did all the kids,
grandkids, and great-grandkids. The old farmhouse was spacious but not enough
for each of them to have their own rooms and beds. No problem. They loved
family, wanted them there, and stacked them on the floor like cordwood. Getting
up at night for a visit to the bathroom or kitchen could be treacherous. But no
one complained. They enjoyed being together for the holidays and wouldn’t have
thought about holding up in a motel. Determination to be together led them to
re-arrange the house so everyone could find a place to sleep.
The friend who had a friend visit at midnight in search of
food for a friend who had shown up at his house met a similar scenario. Getting
up would have meant disturbing his wife, kids, and animals. But the knocking
friend wouldn’t go away or take no for an answer. His determination won the day
. . . and the food.
Determination demonstrates our sincerity and moves us forward
in God’s work. The midnight caller determined to find food for his friend, who
had called at a late hour. Societal rules demanded this courtesy. Had this
friend refused him, he would have tried another.
Our neighbors were equally determined to find room for their
large family. When we’re determined, we’ll do more for God, not less, and he
won’t have to beg us to work for him.
Determination is usually met with rewards. It was for the
friend at midnight. Now he wouldn’t have to return to his house and cook for
this midnight caller. Although our determination is sometimes overlooked in
life, God says He will reward our faithful, sincere service now and in the
hereafter.
God is determined to carry out his plan for our lives and
this world. He wants us to be equally determined to do our best for Him.
Determine to be more determined in your work for God?
Father, increase my determination to do my best for you.
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“I can’t believe I didn’t think of that earlier. I made it so
difficult,” my wife said.
A friend and I lounged at our favorite fast-food restaurant,
shooting the breeze while our wives walked to a nearby retail store. My friend
had lost a lot of weight due to recent health problems and needed a pair of
pants that fit him.
Our wives soon returned and plopped down beside us. Mine
immediately took out a fingernail file and began working on a pocketbook that
looked unfamiliar. It should have because it belonged to her friend, not her. The
fabric had caught in the zipper and stuck fast.
After the nail file rendered unsuccessful, my wife asked for
my pocketknife. She cut a few slices to no avail. After ten minutes of
struggling with a stubborn zipper, she inserted the fingernail file between the
zipper, and it immediately separated. With a sigh and laugh, she realized how
difficult she had made something so simple.
On the other hand, my friend and I thought of God’s freeing grace.
Paul had experienced it, taught it, and lived it. He was a legalist to the core
before meeting Christ. His life had been about following all the rules, even
those Christ hadn’t given. Now, it was about freedom.
Grace is freeing, just as the contents of the pocketbook were
by the separated zipper. My wife attempted to approach the problem in the usual
way—unzip the zipper—when all she had to do was open the pocketbook another
way.
Grace is the other way . . . the only way. When we place our
faith in Christ, his grace forgives our sins and frees us from their chains.
Now, we can do what we couldn’t before: obey His commands.
Grace, however, isn’t a license to live recklessly. We
misunderstand grace if we think we don’t have to worry about sin anymore
because Christ has forgiven our sins. When we understand what grace cost
God—the life of His Son—we’ll want to please Him by staying as far away from
sinful and spiritually harmful situations as possible. Like soldiers in sync,
we’ll march to the tune of holiness.
If you have experienced the freeing power of God’s grace, show
your appreciation through obedience.
Father, thank you for making it easy to run into your loving
arms.
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