One of the men in our Bible study posited this for us to ponder: “When my dad says, ‘Don’t run out into the street,’ do I obey because I fear my dad’s anger and wrath, or because I trust his wisdom and care?” What an effective diagnostic! (Or so it seemed to me). The question was analogous, of course, ultimately focused not on our relationship with our earthly father, but with our heavenly One. It occurred to me that our understanding of who God is affects the spirit in how we approach Him. Then let’s look at the nature of “our Father who art in heaven,” the character of Him who calls us to pray.
God loves His people, and of His own desire He draws us close to Himself. “I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with unfailing kindness.”1.
God listens to us with intentionality. Marvels David, “I love the Lord, for he heard my voice; he heard my cry for mercy. Because he turned his ear to me, I will call on him as long as I live.”2
God’s desires for us far exceed our own imagination and petitions. He is “able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us.”3
God sometimes says, “no” to our prayers, this for our own good and for His higher purposes. Paul testifies: “Three times I pleaded with the Lord about [my affliction], that it should leave me. But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’”4
God may take time to answer us, so that we grow stronger in our faith, itself “more precious than gold”5. “Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him, firm in your faith . . . And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.”6
God is faithful to answer us in His wisdom and in His time. “But as for me, my prayer is to you, O Lord. At an acceptable time, O God, in the abundance of your steadfast love answer me in your saving faithfulness.”7
Loving, caring, lavish, protective, wise, and faithful—this is the nature of our heavenly Father toward us who are His children “through faith in Christ Jesus.”8 God delights in us and eagerly invites us into conversation with Him. “Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace . . .”9
Father, forgive us for doubting Your character. Grace us to know You as you really are and, in this confidence, to draw near to Your throne of great grace. In Christ we pray. Amen.
1 Jeremiah 31:3
2 Psalm 116:1-2 NIV
3 Ephesians 3:20
4 2 Corinthians 12:8-9
5 1 Peter 1:7
6 1 Peter 5:8-10
7 Psalm 69:13
8 Galatians 3:26
9 Hebrews 4:16
Month: July 2023
Categories
Wait for It
“For still the vision awaits its appointed time; it hastens to the end—it will not lie. If it seems slow, wait for it; it will surely come; it will not delay.” —Habakkuk 2:3
Sober now for over 30 years, my friend remains fully engaged in “the program,” gaining daily strength against addictions while coming alongside others battling their own. From time to time, they share among themselves this helpful adage, a perspective that lifts one’s gaze beyond the crisis of the moment and to the victory that awaits those who persevere: “Don’t give up five seconds before the miracle.”
As we mature in Christ, our faith— “the certainty of things hoped for”1— deepens, strengthens, and grows. The more we recognize God’s work in and around us, the more we trust He hears our prayers and answers them. What leaves us unsettled, however, is the matter of when. It is one thing to trust in God’s goodness and power; it is quite another to rest in His timing. As a friend recently observed, “We can be impatient with God’s patience.” So true. When facing the vast Philistine army, for instance, King Saul took it upon himself to offer the sacrifice that Samuel—a seeming no-show at the time— was to offer upon arrival. “As soon as [Saul] had finished offering the burnt offering, behold, Samuel came.”2 Said Samuel to Saul, “You have done foolishly. You have not kept the command of the Lord your God . . . Now your kingdom shall not continue.”3 The king had given up moments before the miracle, and with tragic results.
God’s plans and promises have a time element to them, and they will be fulfilled soon enough. Saul’s successor David understood the pain of waiting— “How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me?”4 Yet he trusted not only in God’s faithfulness to His promises, but also in the wisdom of His timetable. “I wait for the Lord, my whole being waits, and in his word I put my hope.”5 This faith —faith that waits—does not give up before the miracle, rather it endures to see its manifestation and then rejoices in its timing. For God “acts for those who wait for him.”6
Have you ever seen God answer your prayer on schedule different than you expected? Do you now see wisdom in His timeline? Then what is it today that you might submit both to God’s power and to His timing?
In the morning, Lord, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait expectantly.7 Lift my gaze to the victory that lies beyond any crisis I may face today. In Christ I pray. Amen.
1 Hebrews 11:1 NASB
2 1 Samuel 13:10
3 1 Samuel 13:13-14
4 Psalm 13:1
5 Psalm 130:5 NIV
6 Isaiah 64:4
7 Psalm 5:3 NIV
Categories
Three Changed Lives
“’No wonder Christians are so humble,’ pondered aloud our international student friend. Knowing very little about the Bible, she had been joining Peggy and me weekly to learn about God and His gracious work in a fallen humanity. As the gospel sunk in a little bit deeper one evening, our friend made the connection—receiving everything while deserving nothing is indeed a very humbling thing.”
Since I first posted this story on October 28, 2020, our friend has become a believer in Christ Jesus. And just as she had observed a genuine humility among Christians, her parents have noticed her newfound peace.
Another young student we know placed her trust in Jesus in the past few years, and now she also testifies to a greater and growing peace. When her mother came from their home country for an extended visit, she was amazed by the love in her daughter’s Christian friends. “Extending love with no expectation of anything in return,” as she put it, has been new to her and profound, something she continues to process.
Then let me also share about a young man who was an atheist upon arriving in the US to further his education. After years of participating in weekly Bible study, he also became a believer in Jesus Christ. “God is where the joy is,” he fondly proclaims. It shows; he glows.
What do all three of these young adults share in common? Raised in places in the world that oppress Christianity to varying degrees, they came to this country with few, if any, preconceived notions of Christians—they could see believers for who they are. Second, all three were drawn to Christ Jesus by the power of the Word and through the wonder of changed lives—people alive in Christ, exuding humility, peace, joy, and genuine love. In turn, those closest to these newer believers are seeing real change in them, the kind of change that draws people to its source—new life through faith in Jesus Christ.
Jesus once taught, “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.”1 Two millennia later, this still happens. So let the Spirit fill you and guide your thoughts, words, and deeds today. You will shine, the world will notice, the Father will be glorified. We have this promise.
Father, how humbling the thought that You change the world through Your people. As Your light shone through others to us, so shine it through us to others. Be glorified. In Christ we pray. Amen.
1 Matthew 5:14-16
Paul Nordman—Author 