One of our greatest needs as Christians is the trait of patience, as an integral part of our relationship with God, for many of us do stumble on this one point, which leads us into distrust of God, and bad consequences which are almost a sure result of not waiting upon Him. In the time of trouble ahead, this singular, important characteristic is pointed out as being absolutely essential, with the hope that we may now cultivate it throughout all of the many vicissitudes of our Christian experience. Thus it is, that a profound promise is made to all who by faith, choose to wait humbly upon God. Let’s read:
Isaiah 40:29 He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength.
30 Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall:
31 But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.
As a general rule of thumb most Christians have two main problems, which sometimes adversely affect our relationship with God, if allowed to run riot. The first is that we sometimes find that God takes too long in answering our prayers. If only we can get a definite time-table when we pray, so that the much needed answers we seek may come at an appointed time, then all may be well. But for us to wait for the answers to come in “The fullness of time”, where God will answer us at a time of His own choosing, hardly ever fits our bill. And from the days of Christ, down to our generation, the same problem has persisted in one form or another.
For instance, when Christ was about to leave this earth for heaven, the disciples asked Him for a specific time for His return, and for the ushering in of the long-awaited kingdom. And even before this, Christ was pressed for a time-table pertaining to the end of the world and His second coming. In the two instances however, Jesus refrained from giving any specific time, for He is too well acquainted with the undesirable results of giving specifics on time, as it pertains to His return, as well as certain other issues we may enquire about. Let’s read:
Matthew 24:3 And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?
4 And Jesus answered and said unto them, take heed that no man deceive you.
5 For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.
And ye shall hear of wars and rumors of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.
Acts 1:6 When they therefore were come together, they asked of him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom”..?
7 And he said unto them, it is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power.
The fact is that if God were to reveal to us that He was coming next week, many of us may stop doing certain things that we already know we should not be doing anyway, and many of us may start to do the things we should have been doing all along. It is what we refer to as the Santa “Claws” mentality, by which kids are often taught to put on their very best behavior, in anticipation of Santa’s arrival, and after the euphoria of the moment has past, many often return to “Pouting”. In the year 1844, when over half a million Christians across America were expecting Jesus to return in the fall, drunkards suddenly became saints, and curse words were suddenly exchanged for songs of praise. Let’s read:
[The Great Controversy pp. 368>404]
Wherever missionaries had penetrated in all the world, were sent the glad tidings of Christ's speedy return. Professors of religion were roused from their false security. They saw their backslidings, their worldliness and unbelief, their pride and selfishness. Many sought the Lord with repentance and humiliation. The affections that had so long clung to earthly things they now fixed upon Heaven.
Sinners inquired with weeping, “What must I do to be saved?” Those whose lives had been marked with dishonesty were anxious to make restitution. Often was heard the sound of earnest intercession. Everywhere were souls in deep anguish, pleading with God. Many wrestled all night in prayer for the assurance that their sins were pardoned, or for the conversion of their relatives or neighbors. For some weeks preceding the time, worldly business was for the most part laid aside. The sincere believers carefully examined every thought and emotion of their hearts as if upon their death-beds and in a few hours to close their eyes upon earthly scenes.
After the passing of the time”… “a large class who had professed to believe in the Lord's soon coming, renounced their faith. Those who had based their faith upon the opinions of others, and not upon the Word of God, were now as ready again to change their views. The scoffers won the weak and cowardly to their ranks, and all these united in declaring that there could be no more fears or expectations now.
The same disposition is also prone to be replicated in our experience, if God were to give us a definite time for answers to our prayers. For instance, if a person were to pray to God for deliverance from his or her creditors, and God were to say in response, that deliverance will come on January 15, 2016, it is quite probable that between now and the next two weeks, that person will do all that he or she knows to be right, so as not to upset the answer to prayer. But if God were to say, in the fullness of time He will deliver, without giving any specific time-line, our behavioral patterns may or may not change, as it all depends on the depth of our relationship with God.
The next problem many of us have with The Lord is that He sometimes does not give us many details, as to a certain course of action to pursue, but instead He may choose to guide us on a day by day, pray as you go basis. Most people will prefer a long detailed plan of action, stretching many, many years into the future, but for us to look for the guiding cloud each day, often invokes feelings of restlessness, doubt and impatience. It is worthy of note, that if God were to always give us specific times, and the extensive details we so often crave, then we will not need faith, for we will be walking by fact, not by faith. Hence the reason why the following scripture is so very important for us to apply in our Christian experience. Let’s read:
Hebrews 10:35 Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompence of reward.
36 For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise.
38 Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him.
Thus it is that our first lesson will be taken from the experience of Abraham and Sarah, to whom The Lord had declared that a son of promise would be born. No specific time was given up front and hardly any details describing how it was to take place were related to them. All Abraham knew is that one day, he and his wife Sarah were to have a son, and like the rest of us, he would need to wait for the fullness of time. But as is so often the case, when a period of waiting has passed, we often grow weary of the wait, and then it is that satan’s suggestions of plan “B” seem to be more and more plausible, for satan reasons along strictly logical lines of thought, whilst the Christian is required to hold logic subservient to faith, for whatsoever is not of faith is sin. Let’s read:
Genesis 15:1 After these things the word of the Lord came unto Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward.
2 And Abram said, Lord God, what wilt thou give me, seeing I go childless”…
3 “Behold, to me thou hast given no seed”…
4 And, behold, the word of the Lord came unto him, saying,…”he that shall come forth out of thine own bowels shall be thine heir.
5 And he brought him forth abroad, and said, Look now toward heaven, and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them: and he said unto him, So shall thy seed be.
6 And he believed in the Lord; and he counted it to him for righteousness.
It’s important for us to observe that this passage is taken from chapter fifteen of Genesis, for the very first verse of the next chapter presents one of the more common errors made by the human agent, after The Lord made a promise to us. After waiting, and waiting, we become frustrated and then seek to fulfill His promises in our own time and way. Thus it is that as a general rule of thumb, we are in danger of making very grave mistakes, which then open the doors for satan to severely tempt us for many years to come, and often the decisions we make under such conditions become the catalysts for greater errors to occur. Let’s read:
Genesis 16:1 Now Sarai Abram's wife bare him no children: and she had an handmaid, an Egyptian, whose name was Hagar.
2 And Sarai said unto Abram, Behold now, the Lord hath restrained me from bearing: I pray thee, go in unto my maid; it may be that I may obtain children by her. And Abram hearkened to the voice of Sarai.
3 And Sarai Abram's wife took Hagar her maid the Egyptian, after Abram had dwelt ten years in the land of Canaan, and gave her to her husband Abram to be his wife.
4 And he went in unto Hagar, and she conceived: and when she saw that she had conceived, her mistress was despised in her eyes.
This one wrong move, made in desperation, proved to be just the beginning of a series of disturbances brought about by the enemy of souls, for up to this point, Hagar had been quite content to dwell in the tents of Abraham as a maid. But now, in her new role of Abraham’s second wife, she becomes quite assertive and arrogant, traits of character that had never surfaced prior to this close encounter with Abraham. And it is very often the case that certain undesirable character traits become apparent only after the fact, and the person who seems to be our knight in shining armor today, may very well turn out to be our worst nightmare tomorrow, but only after the critical decisions and actions have been taken. Let’s read:
Genesis 16:5 And Sarai said unto Abram, My wrong be upon thee: I have given my maid into thy bosom; and when she saw that she had conceived, I was despised in her eyes: the Lord judge between me and thee.
6 But Abram said unto Sarai, Behold, thy maid is in thine hand; do to her as it pleaseth thee. And when Sarai dealt hardly with her, she fled from her face.
[Patriarchs And Prophets pp. 145] Abraham had accepted without question the promise of a son, but he did not wait for God to fulfill His word in His own time and way. A delay was permitted, to test his faith in the power of God but he failed to endure the trial. Thinking it impossible that a child should be given her in her old age, Sarah suggested, as a plan by which the divine purpose might be fulfilled, that one of her handmaidens should be taken by Abraham as a secondary wife. Abraham's marriage with Hagar resulted in evil, not only to his own household, but to future generations.
Flattered with the honor of her new position as Abraham's wife, and hoping to be the mother of the great nation to descend from him, Hagar became proud and boastful, and treated her mistress with contempt. Mutual jealousies disturbed the peace of the once happy home. Forced to listen to the complaints of both, Abraham vainly endeavored to restore harmony. Though it was at Sarah's earnest entreaty that he had married Hagar, she now reproached him as the one at fault. She desired to banish her rival; but Abraham refused to permit this; for Hagar was to be the mother of his child, as he fondly hoped, the son of promise. She was Sarah's servant, however, and he still left her to the control of her mistress. Hagar's haughty spirit would not brook the harshness which her insolence had provoked. “When Sarai dealt hardly with her, she fled from her face.”
This leads us to the next critical lesson we can take away from this experience: Satan’s counterfeit to God’s promises very often look like God’s will up front! But like the prophecy in Revelation, it may be sweet in the mouth, but bitter in the belly, when the adverse results begin to unravel. If God were to resurrect Abraham today, so that he could behold with his own two eyes, the results of that one fatal move, he may very well choose to go back into the grave, rather than face the music, which is currently laced with avant garde intonations, akin to the music score from a horror movie. Plan B, C, and D are all substitutes for God’s perfect will, and they never produce the desired results, because they emanate from the adversary of God and man.
The last lesson in waiting upon God, which we will discover, is that deliverance is usually just around the corner from a bad decision to go with plan B. for this next important lesson we now turn to king Saul, who fell into the snare of desperation, and made a critical move which was the beginning of his own undoing. At this time, Saul, and the armies of Israel were being threatened with annihilation by the philistines, who had amassed an immense army, to accomplish their goal. And Saul had been instructed by the prophet Samuel to wait for his arrival, so that the necessary sacrifice could be made, in order that God’s power, and presence would go before them, thus guaranteeing them victory over their foes.
Many Christians, in reading the experience of Saul at this time, have concluded that it was indeed a
regrettable move that was made by the king, but Saul actually did better than some of us do, for at least he waited for the specified time before acting. It is often the case that we are not even willing to wait for any specified time, and are thus tempted in desperation, to make decisions that could cost us dearly. Let’s read:
1st Samuel 13:5 And the Philistines gathered themselves together to fight with Israel, thirty thousand chariots, and six thousand horsemen, and people as the sand which is on the sea shore in multitude: and they came up, and pitched in Michmash, eastward from Bethaven.
6 When the men of Israel saw that they were in a strait, (for the people were distressed,) then the people did hide themselves in caves, and in thickets, and in rocks, and in high places, and in pits.
7 And some of the Hebrews went over Jordan to the land of Gad and Gilead. As for Saul, he was yet in Gilgal, and all the people followed him trembling.
8 And he tarried seven days, according to the set time that Samuel had appointed: but Samuel came not to Gilgal; and the people were scattered from him.
If there was any person who had a so-called valid reason for adopting plan B, it would have been Saul, for he had indeed waited the specified time set by the prophet. The question then is, if God has given a specified time for the fulfillment of a promise, and that time seems to have elapse without the stated fulfillment, are we then at liberty to choose plan B, seeing that, like Saul, we may have fulfilled our end of the bargain by waiting? What was king Saul to do after obeying the instructions to wait? The answer to this very critical question takes us back to the title of the Bible study “Learning to wait upon God”. Let’s read:
1st Samuel 13:9 And Saul said, Bring hither a burnt offering to me, and peace offerings. And he offered the burnt offering.
10 And it came to pass, that as soon as he had made an end of offering the burnt offering, behold, Samuel came; and Saul went out to meet him, that he might salute him.
11 And Samuel said, What hast thou done? And Saul said, Because I saw that the people were scattered from me, and that thou camest not within the days appointed”….
12 Therefore said I, The Philistines will come down now upon me to Gilgal, and I have not made supplication unto the Lord: I forced myself therefore, and offered a burnt offering.
13 And Samuel said to Saul, Thou hast done foolishly: thou hast not kept the commandment of the Lord thy God, which he commanded thee: for now would the Lord have established thy kingdom upon Israel forever.
14 But now thy kingdom shall not continue: the Lord hath sought him a man after his own heart, and the Lord hath commanded him to be captain over his people, because thou hast not kept that which the Lord commanded thee.
There are three vital lessons in learning how to wait upon God, that can be deduced from the failures of both Abraham and Saul: [1] Desperation should never be allowed to drive us into disobedience. For instance, if we are dying of starvation, and the only option on the table is pork chops, which The Lord has specifically forbidden for human consumption, then we may pray and ask God for a miracle according to His will, and if He delivers, then that’s all well and good, but if not, it is much better to die doing God’s will, than to live in violation of His word.
[2] Patience must be cultivated through active exercise, for it is not an attribute human beings are
born with. Therefore, when expecting answers from God on a particular issue, we should have an open-ended disposition, so that God may work out things in His own time and way, which as sacred history has shown, is always done with our very best good in mind. Let’s read:
Psalm 37:4 Delight thyself also in the Lord: and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.
5 Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass.
7 Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for him”…
[3] There are no known viable alternatives to God’s ideal will, therefore, as Christians we should avoid the snare of harboring last resort planning in our decision making processes whenever godly principle and human logic may collide. The decision-making processes of the Christian may often seem to the logical thinking mind as being extreme at best, and
quite radical at worst, but if we were to faithfully follow the teachings and instructions of God’s word, we will find sooner or later that they have been given in infinite wisdom, and the end result will always be in our best interest. We therefore end with a passage of scripture which encourages us to wait, and continue waiting, until the good and perfect purposes of God are fulfilled in their due season. Let’s read:
Psalm 27:14 Wait on the Lord: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the Lord.
May God add His blessing to the study and practice of His word. God bless!