Challenge of Delays!
Verse for Today: Monday, September 02, 2013
John 11:6 – Yet when Jesus heard that Lazarus was sick, He stayed where He was two more days.
God’s ‘delays’ often cause us to be perplexed. When we are in dire need, we wonder why God doesn’t act fast. We do not understand why God delays to answer our prayers. It often causes us to develop doubts and confusions in our prayer life. Sometimes delays cause us to grow cold and tend to become weaker in our faith. Just as in the case of Martha and Mary of Bethany, we lament that if only the Lord had acted earlier, our heartache and pain would have ended. But our Lord wants to tell us today to simply believe on Him to see how He works in magnificent manner in our lives. God’s delays are not denials, but appointments, but we often feel that He is probably denying us our prayers or ignoring our heart-cry. But the incident of the sickness and death of Lazarus of Bethany authenticates the truth that even when God delays, He does it to glorify Himself in us. His delays are never delays of inactivity or indifference. His delays prepare our hearts to receive greater blessings from Him. His delays teach us that He is at work behind the scene in our lives as we put all our trust in Him. He often waits to act in our lives until all hope in human capacity and our own solutions dry down. It is true that Jesus could have healed a sick Lazarus, but had already planned to perform a greater blessing in his life and that of his sisters. In such times, we need greater grace to wait for God’s time without losing our faith and giving up hope.
Dear reader, are you facing unprecedented delays in life? Have you been waiting for answers to your prayers for a long time and wonder if God would ever meet your dire needs and rebuild your ruined life? Remember, our God is the God of delays. He knows that delays help us to mature in our life of faith and to wait for His best time. Abraham had to wait for 25 years to get the promised son in his life. Isaac waited for 20 years for children. Joseph had to wait for 13 years to see his dreams fulfilled. Hannah waited for long for her prayers to be answered. It took David several years of waiting, even after his anointing, to become the king of Israel. Yes, we serve a God who has a plan of action in all our lives and He operates according to His schedule. His time-frame is perfect and it will always accomplish His purpose in our lives if we are willing to wait for Him. If we go ahead of God, we will lose the spiritual blessing that God plans in our lives. We should be willing to wait for God’s time, without doubt and confusion, believing that God’s delays are not a mistake or passivity, but opportunity for us to grow in our faith and trust in Him. When God delays, the enemy will come and tell us in our ears that our God doesn’t care for us and that he has a better plan for us. Let us not believe these lies and distortions of the enemy, and instead, let us wait for God to move in our lives and situations. Our God will not disappoint us or deny us His best in our lives. When He moves at the right time, it will cause us to enjoy His blessings to the praise of His name and for our joy and satisfaction.
2 Peter 3:9 – The Lord is not slow in keeping His promise, as some understand slowness.
Thought for Today
God’s delays challenge us to trust Him and wait for His best in our lives.
Prayer for Today
Dear Lord Jesus: Please give me the patience to wait for Your best time and to guard my heart from wavering. Amen!
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