“Don’t be in a hurry. These things take time.”
You cannot have patience without hope. Hope is the certainty of the outcome. Patience is an appreciation for the space between.
He is faithful and so we can wait patiently.
He can be trusted and so we will wait until His right time.
He will answer when we call and so we wait for His reply, however long it takes.
Every moment matters. Therefore we do not squander the in-betweens with despair, hopelessness, frustration, laziness, or passivity.
His plan is better. Therefore we do not act on our own accord, needing to make something happen now.
To the altar we tie our preferences, timelines, reputations, momentary comforts, our need to stockpile in order to feel secure. Come out from among them and be separate. Waiting separates. Waiting purifies. Waiting does more for our eternal glory than the answer — which will certainly come in His time.
Which kingdom do we demonstrate we are a part of?
Are we possessing and waiting for the kingdom of heaven with confident expectation of good things now and to come? Or are we taking what we need for ourselves, in our way, according to the time that seems best to us? By force, “It’s my right”? With excuse, “That’s just the way of the world”? Without mercy, “They deserved it”? Stirring up conflict with harsh words, selfish motives, and a beastly drive to take all we can, while we can?
“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” (Matt. 5:3)
The poor in spirit possess the blessings of heaven. What does it mean to be in this kind of poverty? Mourning, meek, hungering and thirsting for righteousness, showing underserved forgiveness and most likely getting taking advantage of as a result, making peace with the instigator, facing persecutions, insults, and lies. Consistently oppressed yet not overcome, struck down, but not defeated. Why? How?
Because, in recognition of their great poverty, they wait upon the Lord to renew their strength. And will He not honor His word to do so? They possess the now and not yet blessings of heaven.
God Himself will comfort them. He will cause them to inherit the earth. He will satisfy them. He will show them mercy. He will reveal Himself to them. He will call them His children. He will reward them a hundred times over in this age — all with persecutions — and in the age to come. (Mark 10:30)
Do we live as citizens of this heavenly kingdom?
Do we give up everything (our rights, our timing, our dignity, our stockpiled comforts) in order to wait for His reward? Or do we comfort ourselves?
Do we wait for His vengeance? Or do we take what is rightfully ours by force?
Do we say, “If the Lord wills…”? Or do we hunger and thirst for that which cannot satisfy — making plans to do this or do that tomorrow — whatever seems good to us?
Seeing how great a debt we’ve been forgiven, do we freely give to others in return? Or do we hold back forgiveness until they earn it? (Matt. 18:23-35)
Do we treat the name of the Lord as our strong tower, running to Him for our defense? Or do we stand up for ourselves in the face of opposition? Returning evil for evil, insult for insult, anger for anger, revenge for revenge, swearing, “Not this time. Not again.” If so, then we have our reward.
“But wait,” I say, “wait upon the Lord.” Rejoice to be poor and persecuted. Be glad to be mistreated and taken advantage of. Because great is your reward in heaven, for they treated the prophets before you in the same way.
In love,
Derek