Insight for your “Journey across the Sky”

A View from the nest www.eagleviews.org

“So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded.You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised. For in just a very little while, He who is coming will come and will not delay.” (NIV 2 Corinthians 5.17-18 Grand Rapids: Zondervan. 1984)

http://articles.faithwriters.com/reprint-article-details.php?article=4727

The USPS has a motto well not really a motto- but more or less it has been attributed to that branch of the federal government that nothing was going to hinder the postal worker from delivering his assigned duties. It is comforting to know that our mail system will get our mail to us in a timely manner and when we expect to receive it. Many other support industries have developed over the years to meet the customer’s need for guaranteed on time delivery. UPS and FEDEX just to name the two most prominent in our society.

In my part of the world there is a company called G.O.D. which stands for ’Guaranteed Overnight Delivery’. What an acronym- to call yourself god. The implication being, that like God, they can be counted on to be on time. Some may choose to argue the on-timeliness of God in some circumstances. Let us take a look at one in particular.

Now a certain man was sick, Lazarus of Bethany, the town of Mary and her sister Martha. ² It was that Mary who anointed the Lord with fragrant oil and wiped His feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick. ³ Therefore the sisters sent to Him, saying, “Lord, behold, he whom You love is sick.” ⁴ When Jesus heard that, He said, “This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified through it.” ⁵ Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. ⁶ So, when He heard that he was sick, He stayed two more days in the place where He was. ⁷ Then after this He said to the disciples, “Let us go to Judea again.” ⁸ The disciples said to Him, “Rabbi, lately the Jews sought to stone You, and are You going there again?” ⁹ Jesus answered, “Are there not twelve hours in the day? If anyone walks in the day, he does not stumble, because he sees the light of this world. ¹⁰ But if one walks in the night, he stumbles, because the light is not in him.” ¹¹ These things He said, and after that He said to them, “Our friend Lazarus sleeps, but I go that I may wake him up.” John 11:1-11 (NKJV)

Lazarus lie dead in the grave. Word was sent to Jesus that Lazarus was sick. He delayed his coming until Lazarus was already laying in the grave for four days. Mary said to Him, well it is nice that you are here, but it is too late. We wanted you here days ago. Where were you? Well that is not exactly what she said but I am taking literary license here to emphasize a point. From Mary’s perspective Jesus was late. He did not show up immediately when called upon. God did not send his answer overnight.

I do not know about you but I have spent hours sitting around waiting for certain deliveries in my lifetime. We can probably all relate to the lateness of the cable installer. They promise morning delivery which stretches into the early afternoon, sometimes even later. The time waiting seems intense, especially when you are going through a dramatic experience like Mary was with Lazarus. This was a hard time for the ladies to deal with so they called upon Jesus, expecting him to show up overnight, or even better, immediately.

The internet has spawned a whole new shopping experience with many items able to be delivered almost instantaneously. Best Buy and Circuit City in addition to WalMart have implemented order online for in-store pick up in as little as twenty minutes. Some items like music and digital files can be downloaded immediately upon purchase. Even the movie industry is getting in the practice of making full length movies available online for immediate viewing. Perhaps you are familiar with Pay Per View, when you pick a show and a time and instantaneously you are given access to your purchase.

In our hurry up world and what seems like a shrinking patience for waiting, perhaps we can feel like Mary and Martha did on that fateful day when Lazarus lie sick.

In our above illustration with Lazarus however, Jesus did wait. Four whole days he delayed his coming, but when he got there he was right on time. No matter what we may be going through, we are instructed to persevere, because if we hang onto God, he will show up and when he does all will be well. It is when we are in a hurry and not willing to wait on God that we find ourselves in that place where disbelief can arise. If we truly believe he is the son of the living God then we should also know that nothing in life or the next world to come can separate us from the love of God through Christ Jesus. That is a promise delivered.

Have faith in God and wait upon His timing, for no matter when He chooses to show up, He will be right on time. Guaranteed on-time delivery. That is just like GOD.

But those who are waiting for the Lord will have new strength; they will get wings like eagles: running, they will not be tired, and walking, they will have no weariness. _{Isaiah 40:31 (BBE)}

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