Greetings again my Brethren. Like all things in God time will tell what we have learned and what we still have to learn. Time is something we all have the same of and no matter what we say or do (unless God intervenes) cannot alter. The Preacher in Ecclesiastes tells us, “To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:” (Ecclesiastes 3:1) even waiting on God. From our thoughts so far let us look at some truths we can observe from our waiting on God. There are five observations I would like to look at from our writing thus far thoughts that will give us a clearer perspective of the importance of our waiting on God. The first observation is taken from 2 Kings, “And while he yet talked with them, behold, the messenger came down unto him: and he said, Behold, this evil is of the LORD; what should I wait for the LORD any longer?” (2 Kings 6:33) While we wait there is a danger of becoming (a process) impatient with God and his seeming delays and perceived failure to respond. How many times we have thought these words? How many times have we talked ourselves out of waiting on God because God did not march to our drum beat? Well God is God and we are not. God does things according to His eternal purposes, oh I know we have heard this time and time again, but have we really learned it? We all know the answer to this question is no. Funny how we know things in God, but we do not do them. Why God does not move in our time I do not know. Oh we say He is lining things up for our benefit well maybe so, but really that does not matter we must really learn God is God and we are not. And He does things for His good pleasure. Paul tell us in Philippians, “For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.” (Philippians 2:13) God has a “will” and “good pleasure” of His (and His alone) to work in us and if we cannot accept this truth we are only wasting our time serving Him. Too many Christians like to twist God’s arms and beat Him over the head with His own word trying to manipulate God into doing things at the time he maybe does not want to do them. This my friend is dangerous. Believe it or not God has things under His control even if we cannot see what He is doing. Our part is to just go along for the ride and faith in God He can do the things He has said he will do. The second observation is found in Psalms 106, “They soon forgat his works; they waited not for his counsel: 14 But lusted exceedingly in the wilderness, and tempted God in the desert. 15 And he gave them their request; but sent leanness into their soul.” (Psalm 106:13-15) There is a danger of failing to wait for the counsel of God. There is always a consequence in our lives when we do not wait for the counsel of God. When we do not wait to hear from God and move out on our own we are on the thinnest of ice. Here we see there were reasons why the Children of Israel did not wait on God. They “lusted exceedingly in the wilderness, and tempted God in the desert.” Their focus was not on the LORD who delivered them from the grip and slaughter of Pharaoh. Who also provided for them day and night with a cloud by day and pillar of fire by night, who fed them with manna and quail (sounds kind of like us today) but their heart was fixed on the past pleasures of Egypt and the dangers before them if they go forward into what God wanted to do in their lives. So God sent leanness into their soul.” Do we understand what “leanness into their souls” means? Well they had all of their physical needs met, but inwardly in their hearts they were not satisfied. There was an inward gnaw that nothing could touch it. No matter what happened no matter what God did for them because of their lust and tempting of God (their true heart condition) God gave them this dissatisfaction. Sounds like many people even Christians today. God knows our heart. God gave them everything, but at the same time to change their heart God also gave them leanness unto their souls. You would say God would never do that, well remember the first observation? God is God and we are not? Their response to God was not a change in their heart what God was looking for (sounds like us today), but “They envied Moses also in the camp, and Aaron the saint of the LORD. 17 The earth opened and swallowed up Dathan, and covered the company of Abiram. 18 And a fire was kindled in their company; the flame burned up the wicked.” (Psalm 106:16-18) As I said there is always consequences for our actions. When we do not give God the response He is looking for in time He will raise the stakes. Instead of a heart change the people, “envied Moses also in the camp, and Aaron the saint of the LORD.” And God had enough. The Scriptures does not say how long God waited for a change but in the end, “The earth opened and swallowed up Dathan, and covered the company of Abiram. 18 And a fire was kindled in their company; the flame burned up the wicked.” (Psalm 106:17-18) My friend there are consequences for us not waiting on God. The hard, wrathful, but loving God of the Old Testament is the same merciful, longsuffering, and grace filled loving God of the New Testament, but God does mean what He says.
Next month we will continue to look at the remaining three observations from our waiting. Walter Beuttler said if you build God a temple He will inhabit it. Have you built God a temple? If you do He will abide and wait for you.
