You know, the Apostle Peter wrote in 2 Peter, "The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance." I believe he was referring to the promise of Christ's return here but I was thinking He is speaking about the character of God and how He is always patient with us and for us.
Sometimes it seems as though He has waited for too long to answer our prayers or even to fulfill His promises to us. And yet He is not slow about His promise. He is patient ~ He's actually holding back on those promises because of His patience. He allows time for repentance ~ time for us to turn from the things that are not of Him. Time for us to come in line with His purposes so that we will not miss out on the fullness of the fulfillment of those promises!
Just think of the sorrow of loss we would experience if He came with the answers and the promises and we were not ready to fully receive them! Our desperation for comfort does not mean we are ready to receive HIM!! We could very well be sitting in the muck and mire of our self-serving lives watching His promises pass us by because our hearts are hard and unable to receive Him. The answers to our prayers are multi-faceted, always taking into account the lives that are effected by our own. He carefully weaves the tapestry of redemption, always keeping in view the precious ones around us. He patiently waits for them, as He patiently waits for us . . .
Papa, bring my heart to total surrender. Let me have the gift of repentance. Cover me with Your blood of atonement. Make my heart of stone into a heart of flesh. Make me ready to receive and walk in the fullness of your promises and in the light of the revelation of the GLORIOUS Son of God!
I think this is great! Just wanted to share that comment about comfort I heard Beth Moore speak on ... She said, "We will never fully reach our true calling, if we stay in comfort." If we seek comforts of this world above Jesus' calling, we will never GO!
ReplyDeleteWhen we do not receive all our comfort from the one and only source, Jesus, we are taking it from other areas.
I believe that part of the reason for Papa's patience with us, is that we are still receiving comfort from elsewhere.
Imagine if He gave us everything and we lost those precious gifts/answers to prayers in those areas where we do not reach for Him alone?
Yes! Absolutely, Shawna! That idolatry of comfort can be so subtle and yet so significant in our relationship with Him. But OH! how I love to be comfortable!
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