God is never in a hurry. He often seems to forget what time it is.
My granddaughter, Tatianna, asks me a question repeatedly. She says, “Grandpa, how old are you?”
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When I tell her I am 32 years old, she insists it is not possible. “You are my grandpa; you cannot be younger than my daddy.”
But the truth of the matter is that I am only 32. I was born again 32 years ago. As far as I know from the scriptures, the first birth is of little consequence. The second birth is what really matters. I only came to the true knowledge of God 32 years ago. That makes me younger than many who claim I am older than they are, and it makes me older than some who think I am younger than they are.
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One of the things I have learnt in my 32 years of intimacy with God is that it is good to wait for God. Over the years, I have had cause to wait for God, and he has amazed me. I waited, and the Lord dazzled me. Jeremiah says:
“The LORD is good to those who wait for him, to the soul who seeks him. It is good that one should hope and wait quietly for the salvation of the LORD.” (Lamentations 3:25-26).
Life’s Traffic Lights
This is the jet age, where waiting is avoided at all costs. We want what we want and we want it now. We perform many tasks with the keys of a cell phone or computer with instant high-speed access to the internet. We contract quick shotgun marriages and end up with even faster divorces. We eat microwaved fast food instead of solid home-cooked meals. We jump on Okada and break a leg trying to get as fast as possible from A to B.
Nevertheless, life often tells us to wait. It says we must wait to become adults. We must wait to get educated, to get a job, to buy or build a house. But we must not spend our lives waiting at life’s many traffic lights. We must spend our lives waiting for God. Life is unreliable and frustrating. You can wait for life for a lifetime and still not get what you want. But God never frustrates or disappoints.
David acknowledges that our times are in God’s hands. (Psalm 31:15). The psalmist says: “Delight yourself also in the Lord, and He shall give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord, trust also in Him, and He shall bring it to pass.” (Psalm 37:4-5). God Himself makes one of His unfailing promises: “They shall not be ashamed who wait for Me.” (Isaiah 49:23).
Wait a Minute
God is never in a hurry. His wristwatch reads differently from ours; therefore, He often seems to forget what time it is. God told Noah there would be a flood, but it only came after 120 years. He promised Abraham a child, but took 25 years to bring it to pass. He told him his descendants would inherit the Promised Land, but they would have to wait for 430 years.
Nevertheless, God is never late and He is never early: He is always just on time. Since the righteous live by faith in God, the righteous must wait for God. So, do not be in a hurry. When you commit something into the hands of God, wait for Him to bring it to pass in the fullness of time. Remember this: “He has made everything beautiful in its time.” (Ecclesiastes 3:11).
Waiting for God requires the patience of faith. Isaiah says:
“In returning and rest you shall be saved; in quietness and confidence shall be your strength.” (Isaiah 30:15).
“Thus says the Lord GOD: ‘Behold, I lay in Zion a stone for a foundation, a tried stone, a precious cornerstone, a sure foundation; whoever believes will not act hastily.’” (Isaiah 28:16).
Saul lost a kingdom because he could not wait. Moses did not enter the Promised Land because he became impatient with the murmuring of Israel. These things were written so we might learn from the mistakes of the pioneers of our faith.
Be Still and Know
David says:
“Truly my soul silently waits for God; from him comes my salvation. He only is my rock and my salvation; he is my defence; I shall not be greatly moved.” (Psalm 62:1-2).
To wait silently for God does not mean we are physically silent: it means we are spiritually silent. We can wait “silently” while praising God. We can wait “silently” while “making melody in (our) heart to the Lord.” (Ephesians 5:19).
Waiting silently means we must not be dismayed by conflicting situations and circumstances. We must not murmur and complain. David counsels:
“Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for him; do not fret because of him who prospers in his way, because of the man who brings wicked schemes to pass.” (Psalm 37:7).
We wait, confident that God will help us, just at the break of dawn. (Psalm 46:5).
Accordingly, Paul says:
“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let (our) requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard (our) hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:6-7).
Don’t Help God
The date was 11 June, 1994. There was a prayer meeting in my house because we wanted to avert trouble the next day. The next day, June 12, was the anniversary of the annulment of perhaps the only election ever in the history of Nigeria that was free and fair.
Suddenly, Margaret Vogt came in. As I looked at her, the Lord said, “Femi, tell Margaret I am going to promote her.” I did. We gathered around her and prayed: “Father, Thy will be done.”
A few weeks later, the Lord sent me back to Margaret with a strange message.
“Thus says the Lord, I said I will promote you. So why are you running from pillar to post? Are you the one going to do it, or am I?”
It was as if I had poured ice-cold water on Margaret. “I thought I had to do something,” she responded with contrition. “So I went to see General Diya.” However, God does not need our help to help us. A god that needs help is no God.
Soon afterwards, Margaret was invited to a conference by the International Peace Academy in New York. The Lord said to me, “Femi, buy her a ticket; she will pay you back the money. But tell her she is not going to a conference; she is going for a job.”
So I bought Margaret a ticket and she went to New York. A few days later, she phoned her husband and told him to give me the news. She was offered a job at the Peace Academy. She spent the next several years there and was then transferred to the United Nations.
God says:
“These things I plan won’t happen right away. Slowly, steadily, surely, the time approaches when the vision will be fulfilled. If it seems slow, do not despair, for these things will surely come to pass. Just be patient! They will not be overdue a single day!” (Habakkuk 2:3).
[email protected]; www.femiaribisala.com
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