“Therefore his sisters sent unto him, saying, Lord, behold, he whom thou lovest is sick. When Jesus heard that, he said, This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God might be glorified thereby.
Then said Martha unto Jesus, Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died.
Jesus said, Take ye away the stone. Martha, the sister of him that was dead, saith unto him, Lord, by this time he stinketh: for he hath been dead four days. Jesus saith unto her, Said I not unto thee, that, if thou wouldest believe, thou shouldest see the glory of God?” John 11:3-4, 21, 39-40
Don’t you love a microwave!? Oh, the 21st century blissfulness a convenience like this offers. I mean... how do you heat up last night’s leftovers? On the stove??? Pfft...That takes way too long and includes washing a pan! Uh—no! But, I’ve been told there are real dangers to using a microwave. As a matter of fact, just take a second to Google “are microwaves bad,” and you can see for yourself. But, that’s another topic for another place.
We live in a super unique time in history! We enjoy so many blessings: cars, washing machines, email, smart phones, and Instagram. Depending on how you are feeling on a particular day, you may feel some of those are curses. As amazing as these conveniences can be, I can confidently say they tend to make us very impatient.
People, and most importantly God, are not apps to be controlled and buttons to push to get what we want when want it. It can challenge our patience as we navigate our Christian life. In God’s incredible eternality, He works on a very different time table. The thing we get to remember is that His timeline is the best!
I find myself having such a strong desire to draw close to God, but the things He uses to draw me to Him and the speed at which He answers prayers, can sometimes be the very things that make me go, “Huh?” And, if I were totally honest, they can make me feel frustrated at times. However, the beautiful thing about our all knowing God is that, He is totally trustworthy. Absolutely. Completely. Trustworthy.
How many people in the Bible went for a “microwave” solution when God’s perfect answer was on the way? How many times have I asked for my own microwaved answers and regretted it? Too many to count, but I’m learning. Can God move quickly? Absolutely, but He isn’t as interested in moving fast as He is interested in doing things right and getting all the glory.
Daily Tip: When tempted to “help” God answer your prayers, push “pause” and find a verse to meditate on that reminds you of the goodness of God. Here’s one of my favorites. “In thee, O Lord, do I put my trust: let me never be put to confusion.” Psalms 71:1
