I just finished reading about God choosing and calling Moses to deliver Israel from Egyptian bondage. [Ex 3:1-22] What really struck me most as I read this account did not take place in the third chapter in Exodus. God working in chapter two grabbed my attention. Read it, “Now it came about in the course of those days that the King of Egypt died. And the sons of Israel sighed because of the bondage, and they cried out and their cry for help because of their bondage rose up to God. So God heard their groaning and God remembered His covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. God saw the sons of Israel, and God took notice of them.” [Ex 2:23-25]
Did you catch those phrases? Their cry “rose up to God.” “God heard their groaning.” “God remembered His covenant.” “God saw.” “God took notice.” All of that is very comforting but two things I would submit for your contemplation. How did Israel end up in Egypt in the first place? Remember Joseph and the seven-year famine. Egypt was the only source for food and God brought Israel and his eleven other sons to Egypt to settle under the protection of Joseph. Eventually Israel and all twelve sons died in Egypt. The people of Israel continued to live there and grow in population until the new King of Egypt saw them as a potential threat and they were enslaved. Why would God call them to Egypt knowing this would lead to centuries of slavery? I began asking that question to myself as I read through the story of Joseph last week. Did God not know that Israel and his sons coming to Egypt would eventually lead to slavery?
The second point I would submit for your consideration is why didn’t God act sooner. We just read how God heard and took notice of the hardships the people of Israel were going through. Most scholars believe the Israelites were enslaved 430 years to the Egyptians. If God saw, heard, took notice, and remembered His covenant why did He delay in intervening for so long?
These are the kind of questions that surface in my mind from time to time reading the scriptures. How many Israelites prayed asking for deliverance but still died in slavery? They waited and waited and waited some more. On the surface it might appear they waited on God in vain.
I know there are some of you reading this who find yourselves in the same set of circumstances. You have been waiting on God to intervene forever it seems. Your circumstances grow worse by the day and God does not step in to intervene. This delay in divine intervention produces confusion, frustration, depression, and impatience.
Let me be the first to say I understand. I find myself waiting on God to intervene but find myself waiting and waiting. It seems most of my Christian life I have been waiting on God to do something. I waited to get married. I waited to be serving full time at a church. I waited on miracle provision when times were lean. I waited on God to get all my books published and am still waiting until they are published nation and worldwide. I wait on the Lord for provision to pay back $10,000 I owe a local businessman on the Seminole Cares project. I wait on the Lord to provide another $23,000 so we can purchase the land for the hospital in Honduras. I wait on the Lord all the time.
I have to be honest. I hate waiting. I am a mover and shaker. I want to get on with the plans God sets before me. At times I think all the waiting is a waste of time. God is never in a hurry like I am. He has a plan and His timing is perfect. I do not know why God lead Israel into Egypt other than to say that without that there would have been no chosen nation of God. They would have died in the seven-year famine. Their 430 years in bondage was not wasted time while they waited on God. It proved to be productive time for the nation. It was during this most difficult time of slavery that the nation began to grow. They multiplied. [Ex 1:8-12] God used this time to make them a mighty nation of numerous people. God was at work fulfilling His covenant promise even though the children of Israel could see it for themselves.
So if you find yourself waiting on God let me assure you God does not waste time. He is at work. He is still in control though it may not appear that way. Let me conclude this with a few simple reminders.
1. Times of waiting on God are not wasted times but productive times.
2. God is at work around you and you may not even notice it.
3. God’s timing is always perfect and His time is usually different than our timing.
4. God sees, hears, takes notice, and remembers.
5. We must learn to trust Him patiently.
O, that dreaded phrase trust Him patiently. We must learn to trust Him with constant endurance. Day in and day out, we must keep asking and keep trusting. Hour by hour we have to keep crying out and with long suffering staying the course. Waiting on God is not always pleasant but it can be productive if we do not lose heart. Stay the course my brothers and sisters. Please know I am right there with you waiting on God for many things. I hope this brings a little comfort to someone today. Waiting is not time wasted but time productive.
No comments:
Post a Comment