“Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD.” Psalm 27:14
I read recently, “In each day there are 24 hours, 1,440 minutes, and 86,400 seconds, and every one of them is a precious gift from God. Time is something we feel we never have enough of, yet we give it away so easily.” Someone once said, “Time is free, but it’s priceless. You can’t own it, but you can use it. You can’t keep it, but you can spend it. Once you’ve lost it, you can never get it back.”
I don’t know about you, but I know me. Patience does not always come easily. I know the Bible tells us to wait upon the Lord, but waiting is work for our fleshly nature. We are programmed by the time in which we live to expect things fast. We have fast food, microwaveable meals, two-day delivery on purchases, instant coffee, direct deposits, e-mails, texts, and a myriad of other examples. All these things tend to make us impatient people!
A desire to do things for God is not a bad thing. I’d much rather have to slow someone down than always have to pep them up. It’s better to be zealous than apathetic; but sometimes, it’s time that is the ticket.
I recently suffered an injury. My Achilles tendon ruptured. I’ve been hurt plenty of times, and I know what it is to rehab and come back from broken bones and sprained ankles; but this injury has been different. I was shocked and fairly discouraged when the specialist told me how long the recovery would be for this injury. It was simply something that couldn’t be rushed. It would take time to heal. I’m still rehabbing that injury, months after the fact. It’s getting stronger, but it’s taking time. Sometimes the hardest thing in life is simply to let things take time.
Study your Bible and you’ll discover that many great works of God took time. I think about Jericho. The walls fell, but not instantly. It took seven days of marching and obeying God. I’m sure Joshua would have voted for a 1one day march, but God’s will was seven days. The walls of Jerusalem weren’t rebuilt overnight. It took time. I’m sure Nehemiah would’ve jumped at the suggestion of instant success, but that wasn’t in God’s plan. The Ark wasn’t built overnight. Noah spent better than a century cutting trees, forming boards, and gathering pitch. It took time! The Hebrew children wandered for 40 years before crossing over into Canaan Land. It took time. The same could be said about Elisha getting Elijah’s mantle. We could use the example of the disciples in the upper room. They had to tarry there and remain in prayer, waiting on the promise of God before the great revival on Pentecost. Sometimes, time is the ticket!
We need to be careful to wait upon the Lord. Outrunning the will of God is a hazardous thing. God does all things well and all things on time, but we must realize that God’s timing and ours may not be compatible. God is clock conscious, but not clock confined. Rest in God and know that He is in control. Wait on the Lord! It might take time, but time might be exactly what’s called for. Sometimes, time is the ticket.
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Justin Cooper, Assistant Pastor
Since 2006, Pastor Cooper has served as an evangelist and as a pastor, traveling across the nation holding revival meetings and preaching in Bible conferences. Pastor Cooper moved to join our staff in 2019 and is building the Tabernacle Bible Class. He and his wife, Desarae, are an incredible blessing to both the college and church families. Pastor and Mrs. Cooper have one son, Lincoln.
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