Long ago and far away

I came across the coolest verse this morning.  (Actually, I must have come across it a while ago because it’s underlined, but anyway…)  I read it.  Then I read it again.  Then I smiled.  Take a look:

O LORD, you are my God;
       I will exalt you and praise your name,
       for in perfect faithfulness
       you have done marvelous things,
       things planned long ago. (Isaiah 25:1)

There are a few things about this verse that made me smile:

• O Lord, You are my God: He’s my God.  He’s not some far-off, uninvolved diety.  He is my loving, caring, comforting, healing, redeeming, personal God.
• I will…praise Your Name: This phrase brings to mind the lines, “Your Name is a strong and mighty tower.  Your Name is a shelter like no other.  Nothing has the power to save, but Your Name.”  There is no other name in history that means as much as that of Jesus Christ.  His is the name that makes kings bow and demons tremble.  His is the name that brings comfort to the hurting and strength to the weak.  The name of Jesus levels the playing field, making every single person equal and some day, every single person will call out His name.
• In Your perfect faithfulness: He never fails.  He never breaks a promise.  He always comes through for us.  He always does exactly the right thing at exactly the right time. 
• You have done marvelous things…planned long ago:  Before the creation of the world, God knew what today would be like for you and for me.  He knew exactly what time you would get up (and whether that rising was peaceful or forced by a screaming child).  He knows every detail of this day and He planned each one out long ago.  Knowing that should give us an attitude of anticipation instead of dread.  We should be thankful for everything that happens, even when it’s not what we want.  Why?  Because everything God does is good.  Everything God does has a purpose.  And even when the dishwasher breaks or the alarm clock doesn’t go off or the baby is sick, it’s all been seen beforehand by God and He allows all of it for His purposes.  Look for Him today in the things that don’t go as planned.  Perhaps there’s something He wants you to learn…

There are so many nuggets of truth about God in just this one verse.  Imagine how many other truth-packed verses the Bible holds!  Sometimes they jump out at us.  Sometimes they’re verses we’ve read over and over again and suddenly find fresh truth.  Sometimes they’re verses we’ve always skimmed over (or they’re in a book we avoid).  Wherever they’re hiding, God knows exactly when we’ll see them and He’s waiting for that day because on that day, we will worship Him in Spirit and in Truth.  And He planned that day a long time ago.

Is there a verse that you recently found new truth or beauty in?  What’s your favorite truth about God today?

 

Writer’s block

I knew it would happen eventually.  I just didn’t expect it to be so soon.  But here I am with nothing to write about.  Sure, there are tons of thoughts and ideas flying around in my head, but getting them down on “paper” just isn’t happening. 

Life is like that sometimes.  We have the best of intentions, some great ideas, but when it comes time to put them into motion, we freeze up.  Sometimes it’s because we blank out.  Other times it’s because we have so many ideas that they crowd each other out.  And then there are the times when it’s just not the right time for our idea to come to fruition. 

The book of John talks about “the right time” in a couple of places.  In chapter 2 we see Jesus at a wedding in Cana.  His mother knows that He can do anything He wants to and urges Him to step in and intervene when a breach of etiquette occurs.  Jesus response is “It’s not time yet.”  (John 2:1-4)  But a few verses later, we see that He has given in and saved the host of the party some embarrassment. 

Later in Jesus’ ministry, He had become the object of the religious leaders’ hatred – so much that they were plotting to kill Him.  He’d specifically avoided Judea for that very reason, but when the Feast of Tabernacles rolled around, His brothers urged Him to go to Judea for the celebration.  Once again, Jesus’ response was “It’s not time yet.” (John 7:1-8)

Our God is not bound by our timelines.  That great idea you have may indeed be a great idea, but perhaps it’s not time yet.  We can get so anxious about wanting to see things happen - a new job, a new ministry, a new house, a new baby.  Our excitement can easily turn into impatience, often with God.  We begin to complain to Him about how long things are taking.  We argue with Him about how many people could have been blessed by our new ministry if He’d just let us do what we wanted when we wanted. 

If you’re waiting for something to happen, if you’re waiting for your idea to be launched, I encourage you to slow down, be patient, be willing to wait.  It may be that you’re not as ready as you think you are to take on new responsibility.  It may be that other people aren’t ready for what you’re going to be offering.  It may be that God has something else for you to do first.  Whatever it is, trust God with it.  Don’t force it.  Bring your heart of anxiety to Him; tell Him about your impatience.  Give the control back to Him because only He will know when “it’s time now”.

What are you waiting for?  How have you seen God’s timing work out perfectly in the past?