Day 10

“Woe to those who draw sin along with cords of deceit, and wickedness as with cart ropes, to those who say, ‘Let God hurry, let him hasten his work so we may see it. Let it approach, let the plan of the Holy One of Israel come, so we may know it.”  — ISAIAH 5:18-19

In today’s world, we communicate so quickly simply by picking up a phone or pressing a few buttons on our computers. We can board a plane today and be almost anywhere in the world tomorrow. But unlike the hectic pace we live in, God is never pressured, never hurried. 

In His own time, God works out His will in this world and for this world. Right from the beginning, in the Garden of Eden, God told Eve that the seed of her womb would crush the head of the serpent. When she gave birth to her first born son, she said, “With the help of the LORD I have brought forth a man.” (Genesis 4:1). She believed this is the promise fulfilled, and she called her son ‘Cain’, but he wasn’t ‘the man’. In fact, he became a murderer, and generation after generation, century after century went by before there was a cry of a baby in Bethlehem. God takes His time.

In Isaiah, Chapter 5 the prophet gives a whole catalogue of woes: “Woe to those who draw sin along with cords of deceit; woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness; who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter. Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes and clever in their own sight.” In this, we agree with God, but in verse 19, Isaiah says, “Woe to those who say, ‘Let God hurry, let Him hasten His work so that we may see it’.” Have we done that? Have we imposed our own timetable on God, expecting to see favourable results?

God doesn’t change. Throughout Scripture, He was never in a hurry, and Abraham recognized this. In John 8:56, Jesus said to the Jews, “Your father Abraham rejoiced at the thought of seeing my day; he saw it and was glad.” In other words, Abraham had acknowledged that there was something going on that was much bigger than his descendants forming the nation God had promised. Abraham knew God would work in His own time, and though it was millenniums down the road, he saw the day of Jesus and was glad. He had walked by faith and not by sight.

Like Abraham, we may not always be privy to see the end result, but we need to trust God, and be mindful of the bigger picture. However long it takes, what God has promised, He fulfills!  And in that, we have reason to rejoice and be glad!

PRAYER: Dear Lord, how often I have wanted a speedy response to my prayer requests, but as I grow in your Word, I’m learning more and more that your timetable, your will and your purpose will be worked out your way. I am so grateful You are in control, and forgive my impatience. Help me to always keep the bigger picture in mind. Thank You, Lord. 

TO REFLECT UPON: Is there something I have been praying for a long time that I know is in accordance with the will of God and have yet to see results? Am I keeping the bigger picture in mind, assured of the fact God is working out His purpose in His time?