Ever feel like that? A typical conversation with God on this subject might sound like this: "God, there are these problems in my life that You said You'd give me victory over, but they seem to go on year after year into decades without any improvement or remedy? God, couldn't You at least show Youself once in a while to give me some hope in the situation? And while I'm asking, why did You tell Moses early on he was the deliverer of the Israelites (undoubtedly his mother relayed this to him at a very early age), then only to set him aside in the palace for 40 years, another 40 in the desert, and begin to use him only at age 80? And why did Joseph sit in a prison from possibly age 20 to 30, only to be released at age 30? Surely the Apostle Paul didn't need to retreat to the wilderness for 14 years before he spread the New Testament church across the Roman empire? God, there are these problems in my life. I strive to work on the parts that concern me, but what about the parts that concern others which I cannot change?"
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Today I opened this discussion line and read it from the top down through Sarah's and Gary's responses, and it ALL reminded me of certain words in verses like, "Wait on the Lord," "Be patient in Him," "Rest in the Lord," and "Be still and know." I never thought of waiting as being a part of something God must complete in someone else, and you're right, the wise virgins were waiting and watching. We've all heard of the analogy of the "tapestry" God is creating. That while here on earth we see the back side of it from our finite viewpoint, but one day in Heaven, we'll see the whole front picture from God's infinitive perspective. Do you suppose that will be like (here's another analogy) "sitting around God's campfire in Heaven" and He tells the endless story of His making and molding us from what was a few short years?
A very good article for me! I never wanted to see BO as President but here he is and I must learn to put up with him for a few more days. I sure hope it isn't a thousand more! I could see he was bad news before Nov. 5th but I must learn to cope along with others until the situtation can be changed! Before the election I didn't think things were too bad cause I didn't hear people praying for mountains to fall on them but I would not be surprised to hear it now! This is just part of Gods warning of Christ's coming and we must be preparing ourselves to be like the 5 wise with oil in our vessels. Also we can be encouraging others to do the same to be ready to meet him. I realize many times we get excited and would like our prayers answered immediatly but it many times is like planting a seed, the conditions must be right for germination to take place. Lets' do our part!
Hey Dave, ever feel like the Lord stuck you in salty hot water just to get your attention? Me too! Lets get back to your original comment and the long wait those fellows had before they saw the fullness of the vision. I'll bet they learned some hard lessons during those times of waiting. These fellows were all leaders. They had to have excellent people skills and understand human motivations. Moses and Joseph both showed a lack of wisdom in human relations early on. Latter they both became skilled leaders. Uh-oh I'm preaching to myself. Then we have David who had to wait and be chased for years(?) by Saul before he became King. He had a group of followers so he also learned to lead during the waiting. There is another thought here, David had to wait for the Lord to finish with Saul. Maybe sometimes we wait because the Lord has to either remove others or prepare them for what our influence will bring. I am reminded of a family situation where a few had to wait for everyone to understand a need that they felt was obvious. It's amazing what can happen in a year. Sometimes the wait may be a test of our obedience. For example Saul was instructed to wait for Samuel to offer a sacrifice. Instead he offered it himself and suffered for it when Samuel seemed to be late.
Wow, Sarah, I identify with your meat analogy the best. I've been beaten every which direction (crushed and mangled), marinated (more like drowned), and slow cooked in tons of pressure for decades (nuclear blasted?), and God hasn't YET taken the lid off the pot to end the process! Did you know you can take the most impossible meat, cube it, put it in glass jars with some salt, and water bath process it for 8 hours? The deliciously tasty and tender juicy meat at the end of the process is utterly amazing!
Dave
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Dave