Isaiah 40:27-31
Why do you complain, Jacob?
Why do you say, Israel,
“My way is hidden from the Lord;
my cause is disregarded by my God”?
28 Do you not know?
Have you not heard?
The Lord is the everlasting God,
the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He will not grow tired or weary,
and his understanding no one can fathom.
29 He gives strength to the weary
and increases the power of the weak.
30 Even youths grow tired and weary,
and young men stumble and fall;
31 but those who hope in the Lord
will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not be faint.
There was a wonderful praise song that we loved that talked about “the God of angel armies.” Imagine in your darkest and most difficult hour, the heavenly host of celestial beings all coming at God’s command to surround and protect you. I can get fired up about that.
One line of the song says, “The God who reigns forever, He is a friend of mine.” Jennifer sent us a video clip many years ago of Jakson, our youngest grandson, singing that song. He has no shirt on. His skinny little ribs are easy to count as he puffs out his chest. He throws his head back and, from the top of his lungs, belts out, “THE GOD WHO TAKES FOREVER, HE IS A FRIEND OF MINE.”
Now I like the first part of this song, angel armies, coming to watch over me. Man, that is good news. But to tell you the truth, most of us are pretty familiar with Jakson’s version, “the God who takes forever.” We have lived in what one of my friends calls “the waits” for a long time, believing so much in God but wondering when He would show up. I want to be rescued, and I want it NOW!
Sound familiar. Well, if you are hoping for a quick answer to that problem in this little blog…keep waiting. All I know is that God is ALWAYS faithful. And He almost always goes a little slower than I would like. The doctor’s report was not good, and I want healing now. My kids are struggling in their marriage, Lord, and I need you to fix that immediately. The church isn’t growing, my 401k is shrinking, the transmission is grinding, I have an algebra exam coming; whatever the request, it usually comes with a time demand stamped on it. “Rush Deliver.”
Maybe that’s the point in “the God who takes forever.” Maybe we finally need to realize that His timing is better than ours. As we learn to WAIT upon the Lord, He not only renews our strength, He weakens our enemies. He makes our paths straight. He brings clarity to our situation. He makes our witness powerful. You name it. He does it.
So whatever you are waiting for God to do during this Holy Week, healing, hope, restored relationships, renewed faith….don’t stop waiting. Remember what lies ahead at the end of this week, Resurrection, new life, Easter Sunday. And the same God who raised Jesus from the dead after a wait will breathe life into your story. It won’t really take forever, Jakson. It just feels like it.
(Speaking of waiting, for those who have done these devotional times with me before, you remember I don’t post on weekends. 🙂 Sorry, see you Monday.)