Many of us as Christians need to practice patience in real time, for it is one of the main characteristics by which those who live in the last days, will come forth victoriously. Waiting upon God is not so much about specific deadlines, as it is watching for the guiding cloud, to see what He will do, and when He will do it. And because God is a Spirit, our moods do determine, to a large extent, whether we will make ourselves vulnerable to the assaults of the evil one, who often tempts us specifically on deadlines.
As a general rule of thumb, the problem most folks have with God is that we think He takes too long to fulfill His word. And wherever this is the case, the door is swung wide open for us to be tempted to adopt alternative methods, and principles, which
inevitably lead us to sin against God or man. Thus, the mood we harbor whilst waiting, sets the stage for miracles and success, or failure and defeat. 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.
Isaiah 32:17 And the work of righteousness shall be peace; and the effect of righteousness quietness and assurance forever.
Revelation 14:12 Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.
Thus we will embark upon an extensive observation of several incidents, and occurrences in the Bible, with a specific emphasis on mood, and the results and effect it has on outcomes. It’s important for us to learn our lessons well as we study, because great patience, and a calm assurance must be manifested in our lives as we wait in earnest expectation of the soon return of Christ, in the not too distant future. Our journey begins with Abraham and Sarah, who had been given a specific promise from God that they would have a child, and that against all odds.
The promise was made to Abraham when he was seventy-five years of age, and thus, according to conventional wisdom, they both will have a limited amount of time for the promise to be fulfilled, or so they thought. And so, they waited, and waited, and waited. One year passes, with no results, two years, then three, then four. A decade goes by, and to all appearances, it seems God has forgotten about the promise.
Two decades, and still no child. Abraham and Sarah are now old, she has long passed menopause, and both of them, being members of AARP, are eligible for benefits for the elderly. They receive retirement funds from the social security administration, and the golden years roll on and on, and still no child, all of which are grim reminders that time is supposedly running out. And because, like Bob Marley, most of us do not like to wait in vain, an alternative plan is suggested, which will ultimately lead them into a serious sin, and in the process, the course of history will be changed forever.
This past week, the president of the United states met with current Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, to discuss hopes of a peace deal with the Palestinians. The age-old conflict between the two nations can be traced back to that one, fatal decision that was made when Abraham and Sarah thought that God was taking too long! Let’s read:
Genesis 15:5 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.
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.
Next, we go to the Hebrews who are instructed to wait, whilst Moses is called up to the mountain, to commune with God, and to be given the two tables of stone, engraved with the ten commandments. The very nature of the call to Moses suggests it must be open-ended, and thus, The Great God of heaven is not to be held to a specific deadline, to which He must comply. Both the people, and Moses are to wait patiently for God to make the very next move, whenever He thinks is best. Let’s read:
Exodus 24:12 And the Lord said unto Moses, Come up to me into the mount, and be there: and I will give thee tables of stone, and a law, and commandments which I have written; that thou mayest teach them.
13 And Moses rose up, and his minister Joshua: and Moses went up into the mount of God.
14 And he said unto the elders, Tarry ye here for us, until we come again unto you: and, behold, Aaron and Hur are with you: if any man have any matters to do, let him come unto them.
16 And the glory of the Lord abode upon mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it six days: and the seventh day he called unto Moses out of the midst of the cloud.
A very interesting commentary is written by the pen of inspiration, pertaining to Moses’ wait upon the mount. One day passes, and nothing happens, two days, and still nothing. Three days, four days, and still not a word from God. What is one supposed to do during this time of waiting upon God, and what should be our mood, when His timing seems to be open-ended? Let’s read:
[Patriarchs & Prophets. pp 313] For six days the cloud covered the mountain as a token of God's special presence; yet there was no revelation of Himself or communication of His will. He had been directed, “Come up to Me into the mount, and be there,” and though his patience and obedience were tested, he did not grow weary of watching, or forsake his post. This period of waiting was to him a time of preparation, of close self-examination Six days must be employed in devoting himself to God by searching of heart, meditation and prayer before he could be prepared for direct communication with his Maker.
But at the base of the mount, an entirely different mood has pervaded the restless multitude. One day passes, then two days. One week, and then two weeks, and still no word, or sign from Moses. One month, and still silence, and so, a supposedly viable alternative is suggested, because, as far as they are concerned God is taking too long! Like Abraham and Sarah, the suggested alternative will inevitably lead to sin, because, although many of us may not know it, giving God a deadline is a sin. Let’s read:
Exodus 32:1 And when the people saw that Moses delayed to come down out of the mount, the people gathered themselves together unto Aaron, and said unto him, Up, make us gods, which shall go before us; for as for this Moses, the man that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we wot not what is become of him.
6 And they rose up early on the morrow, and offered burnt offerings, and brought peace offerings; and the people sat down to eat and to drink, and rose up to play.
[Patriarchs & Prophets. Pp 319>320] During this period of waiting, there was time for them to meditate upon the law of God which they had heard, and to prepare their hearts to receive the further revelations that He might make to them. They had none too much time for this work; and had they been thus seeking a clearer understanding of God's requirements, and humbling their hearts before Him, they would have been shielded from temptation.
But they did not do this, and they soon became careless, inattentive, and lawless. As they drew near the encampment, they beheld the people shouting and dancing around their idol. It was a scene of heathen riot.
But the next incident is different, because this time God gives a specific deadline, which comes and goes with no sign of His promise. Here is where many of us as Christians have stumbled, and this is why we need to learn our lessons well, while we can. If God has given a specific time, and it comes and passes, with no apparent sign of His promise, that fact should not change our mood, from being calm and patient, to being restless, and complaining, because waiting upon God puts Him in the driver’s seat, to fulfill His promises at His discretion.
Saul is told to wait for Samuel, for he will show up in seven days, to offer sacrifice and ask God’s blessing, before the army goes into battle. And Saul actually obeys, and waits, and waits, and waits. One day passes, then two. Three days, four days, and still no sign of Samuel. He begins to panic, for his soldiers are beginning to desert him, and many are already M.I. A. Five days, then six days, and then with a firm deadline in mind, he impatiently waits for the entire seventh day, and still no sign of Samuel.
Finally, in desperation, he does what he hesitates to do, for his conscience is telling him that it is wrong. However, because the deadline has come and gone, he feels that he has no choice but to institute plan B for as far as he is concerned, God is taking too long. 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.
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, and that the Philistines gathered themselves together at Michmash;
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, because thou hast not kept that which the Lord commanded thee.
Remember now, that we are paying close attention to Saul’s mood during the time of waiting; whether it will be with that calm assurance, Psalms spoke of earlier, our whether he will join with the young and the restless. The mood he indulges will ultimately determine whether he will succumb to temptation, or whether he will come forth victoriously. Let’s read:
[Patriarchs & Prophets. Pp 618] The time for the proving of Saul had come. He was now to show whether or not he would depend on God and patiently wait according to His command, thus revealing himself as one whom God could trust in trying places as the ruler of His people, or whether he would be vacillating and unworthy of the sacred responsibility that had devolved upon him. Would the king whom Israel had chosen, listen to the Ruler of all kings? Would he turn the attention of his fainthearted soldiers to the One in whom is everlasting strength and deliverance?
With growing impatience he awaited the arrival of Samuel and attributed the confusion and distress and desertion of his army to the absence of the prophet. The appointed time came, but the man of God did not immediately appear. God's providence had detained His servant. But Saul's restless, impulsive spirit would no longer be restrained.
Feeling that something must be done to calm the fears of the people, he determined to summon an assembly for religious service, and by sacrifice entreat the divine aid. God had directed that only those consecrated to the office should present sacrifices before Him. But Saul commanded, “Bring hither a burnt offering;” and, equipped as he was with armor and weapons of war, he approached the altar and offered sacrifice before God.
And we can go on, and on, and on. From the day of Pentecost, when the disciples were instructed to wait for the promise of the father, until they were imbued with power from on high; down to the time of William miller, when those early advent believers looked earnestly for the return of Jesus. And on to our day, where we ourselves have fallen prey to the devices of satan on deadlines, because, as far as we are concerned, God is taking too long! Let’s read:
1st Corinthians 10:11 Now all these things happened unto them for examples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come.
12 Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall.
13 There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.
Here in the 21st century, we have apparently been pre-programmed to a mindset of deadlines, for we are constantly subject to specific dates, and times for the fulfillment of various chores, responsibilities, and duties. There is a deadline for our mortgages, a deadline for school fees, a deadline for car notes, a deadline to file taxes, deadlines to complete certain jobs, and deadlines we may have preset for getting married.
Therefore, we must be very, very careful, lest we attempt to lock the God of heaven into a deadline timeframe, for the fulfillment of His promises to us, for if we do, like Abraham, Sarah, and Saul, we will inevitably be led into sin. The period of trial before us will require a faith that can withstand delay, for the patience of the saints will be severely tried, to see, if for any reason, we will adopt plan B, which is the mark of the beast, 666. Let’s read:
Revelation 13:16 And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads:
17 And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.
Revelation 14: 9 And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand,
10 The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation;
11 And they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name.
12 Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.
We close our study of the scriptures with some good advice for the times when we may be prone to becoming frustrated with God, if He does not come through in expected ways. Let’s read:
[Steps to Christ pp 121>122] Some are always fearing, and borrowing trouble. Every day they are surrounded with the tokens of God's love; every day they are enjoying the bounties of His providence; but they overlook these present blessings. Their minds are continually dwelling upon something disagreeable which they fear may come; or some difficulty may really exist which, though small, blinds their eyes to the many things that demand gratitude.
The difficulties they encounter, instead of driving them to God, the only source of their help, separate them from Him because they awaken unrest and repining. Do we well to be thus unbelieving? Why should we be ungrateful and distrustful? Jesus is our friend; all heaven is interested in our welfare. We should not allow the perplexities and worries of everyday life to fret the mind and cloud the brow. If we do we shall always have something to vex and annoy. We should not indulge a solicitude that only frets and wears us, but does not help us to bear trials.
May God add His blessing to the study and practice of His word.
God bless!