How is your patience?
What happens to your mood when you have to wait?
How do you treat people/speak to people when things are not moving a the pace you feel it should be?
Patience is directly and indirectly all over the Biblical story -
- Nation of Israel - over and again seasons of anywhere from 50 to 450 years
- Abraham - 25 years after the promise before Isaac
- Jacob - had to wait 7 years for Rachel got tricked and waited 7 more
- Joseph - 13 years in a prison forgotten about
- Jericho - marched for a week
- Hannah waited and prayed for years for a child (Samual)
- Samson – grew impatient with Delila’s questioning and lost his life
- Elijah waited for God to send rain after prophesying a drought
- Job endured tremendous suffering and waited on God to restore his fortunes
- Esther waited a month for the opportunity to approach the king
- David - anointed but waited for God’s timing, honoring that Saul was king
- Disciples were told to wait in Jerusalem for the spirit to show up
- Anna waited her whole life in the temple waiting for the Messiah to show up and was given the gift of seeing Jesus brought in at his birth
- Saul not waiting for Samuel and offering the sacrifice without him
- Daniel prayed for 21 days before receiving an answer from God
- Moses waited for 40 years in the desert before leading the people of Israel out of egypt and again the nation of Israel had to wait 40 years in the desert to enter the promised land
- Noah worked but waited 100 years for a flood and a year in a boat in hopes that he would see land again
Waiting can be confusing - Should we be doing something else? Should I even be in this position? Did I miss something? Am I not in God’s plan/will because nothing seems to be happening? Should I step in or step out in faith and make something happen?
What happens when God seems silent at best and absent at worst?
THE “OMNI’s” of God
- Omnipotent - All Powerful – Possessing unlimited power
- Omniscient - All Knowing – Complete universal knowledge of the universe and all things
- Omnipresent - Everywhere at once – Not limited by physical space and time.
O Lord, you have searched me and known me!
2 You know when I sit down and when I rise up;
you discern my thoughts from afar.
3 You search out my path and my lying down
and are acquainted with all my ways.
4 Even before a word is on my tongue,
behold, O Lord, you know it altogether.
5 You hem me in, behind and before,
and lay your hand upon me.
6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;
it is high; I cannot attain it.7 Where shall I go from your Spirit?
Or where shall I flee from your presence?
8 If I ascend to heaven, you are there!
If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there!
9 If I take the wings of the morning
and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,
10 even there your hand shall lead me,
and your right hand shall hold me.
11 If I say, “Surely the darkness shall cover me,
and the light about me be night,”
12 even the darkness is not dark to you;
the night is bright as the day,
for darkness is as light with you. —Psalm 139:1-12 ESV
We are not Omnipotent, Omniscient, and Omnipresent.
BUT….The One who DWELLS within us is!
4 Now the word of the Lord came to me, saying,
5 “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you,
and before you were born I consecrated you;
I appointed you a prophet to the nations.”6 Then I said, “Ah, Lord God! Behold, I do not know how to speak, for I am only a youth.” 7 But the Lord said to me,
“Do not say, ‘I am only a youth’;
for to all to whom I send you, you shall go,
and whatever I command you, you shall speak.
8 Do not be afraid of them,
for I am with you to deliver you,
declares the Lord.” —Jeremiah 1:4-8 ESV
9 Then the Lord put out his hand and touched my mouth. And the Lord said to me,
“Behold, I have put my words in your mouth.
10 See, I have set you this day over nations and over kingdoms,
to pluck up and to break down,
to destroy and to overthrow,
to build and to plant.”11 And the word of the Lord came to me, saying, “Jeremiah, what do you see?” And I said, “I see an almond branch.” 12 Then the Lord said to me, “You have seen well, for I am watching over my word to perform it.” —Jeremiah 1:9-12 ESV
God is never
.
God is never
.
Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” —Joshua 1:9 ESV
“We may ignore, but we can nowhere evade, the presence of God. the world is crowded with Him. He walks everywhere incognito. And the incognito is not always hard to penetrate. the real labour is to remember to attend. In face, to come awake. Still more, to remain awake.” —- C.S. Lewis
Living our lives at a
pace can radically
our awareness of Jesus even though He is plainly among us.
“I have done nothing but open the windows - God has done all the rest.”
“That we should establish ourselves in a sense of GOD’s Presence, by continually conversing with Him. That it was a shameful thing to quit His conversation, to think of trifles and fooleries.” —- Brother Lawrence
“Let us thus think often that our only business in this life is to please GOD, that perhaps all besides is but folly and vanity” —- Brother Lawrence
12 On the following day, when they came from Bethany, he was hungry. 13 And seeing in the distance a fig tree in leaf, he went to see if he could find anything on it. When he came to it, he found nothing but leaves, for it was not the season for figs. 14 And he said to it, “May no one ever eat fruit from you again.” And his disciples heard it. —Mark 11:12=14 ESV
20 As they passed by in the morning, they saw the fig tree withered away to its roots. 21 And Peter remembered and said to him, “Rabbi, look! The fig tree that you cursed has withered.” 22 And Jesus answered them, “Have faith in God. 23 Truly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and thrown into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says will come to pass, it will be done for him. 24 Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received[c] it, and it will be yours. 25 And whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father also who is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.” —Mark 11:20-25 ESV
A Fruitful fig tree is a frequent image of prosperity and God’s blessing. A withered tree describes God’s judgement and destruction.
12 Were they ashamed when they committed abomination?
No, they were not at all ashamed;
they did not know how to blush.
Therefore they shall fall among the fallen;
when I punish them, they shall be overthrown,
says the Lord.
13 When I would gather them, declares the Lord,
there are no grapes on the vine,
nor figs on the fig tree;
even the leaves are withered,
and what I gave them has passed away from them.” —Jeremiah 8:12-13 ESV
15 “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. 16 You will recognize them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? 17 So, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit. 18 A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit. 19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 Thus you will recognize them by their fruits.
21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ 23 And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’ —Matthew 7:15-23 ESV
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
- Where have I met Jesus (God or Holy Spirit) today?
- Where have I missed Jesus (God or Holy Spirit) today?
- What helps me pay attention to God?
- What hinders me from paying attention to God?
- If I know what helps me to pay attention to God, how often do I actually seek to engage those activities or practices?
- If I recognize what hinders my awareness of God, what can I do to reduce or remove those hinderances?