Tag: A Word for Wednesday

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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

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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

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For the Love of Friends

“A friend loves at all times.” —Proverbs 17:17

Who do you call, “friend”? Think about it for a moment. Is it the one who keeps a confidence for you? Those willing to drop everything and “be there” for you? The listener who does not condemn? We all have a “friend” category, and consciously or not, it often has a reciprocity about it: treat me as your friend, and I’ll regard you as my friend. Then by contrast, consider the three times Jesus addressed someone as “Friend”—twice through parable illustrations and once in real life. Who were they? The first was an ungrateful worker who grumbled at receiving an agreed-upon wage. “Friend, I am doing you no wrong,”1 replied the hiring foreman. Next was a presumptuous one, crashing a wedding party. “Friend, how did you get in here without a wedding garment?”2 asked the host. And the real-life scenario? It was to Judas in the act of betrayal that Jesus said, “Friend, do what you came to do.”3

In a recent post, I concluded that, “If in death I will see Jesus face to face, I’d do well to open wide my relationship with Him right now.” I went on to say that, for me, drawing closer to Him means, among other things, “Trust His love.” For love is the very nature of God, as John stated so plainly: “God is love.”4 God not only speaks His love through reassuring words, He also demonstrates His love through promise-keeping deeds. John continues: “In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him.”5 Then God’s love for us does not depend on our human notion of goodness, nor does it vacillate with our faulty version of faithfulness. He loves us “with an everlasting love,”6 and this despite ourselves—“God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”7

This love cannot be exceeded, and it is ours, for “Greater love has no one than this, that a person will lay down his life for his friends.”8 This love liberates us today without fear of tomorrow. This is love we can trust, love we can live, love we can give. Forever.

We confess with Paul …
For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”9 Lord Jesus, thank You for loving us as friends. Amen.

1 Read Matthew 20:1-16, the parable of the laborers.
2 Read Matthew 22:1-14, the parable of the wedding feast.
3 Read Matthew 26:47-50, an account of Jesus’ betrayal.
4 1 John 4:8
5 1 John 4:9
6 Jeremiah 31:3
7 Romans 5:8
8 John 15:13 NASB
9 Romans 8:38-39