One of the most puzzling things about the Bible is the
promised blessings for obedience and the curses for disobedience (Deuteronomy
28,29). Well, what’s so puzzling about them? Often, the Psalmists lament at seeing
that the evil are blessed and the righteous cursed:
·
For I was envious of the arrogant when I saw the
prosperity of the wicked. For they have no pangs until death; their bodies are
fat and sleek. They are not in trouble as others are; they are not stricken
like the rest of mankind. (Psalm 73:3-5)
He therefore was tormented by what he had been observing:
·
All in vain have I kept my heart clean and
washed my hands in innocence. (Psalm 73:13)
Are the promised blessings for the righteous a vain hope?
Should we instead live like the unrighteous do? The Psalmist finally was
comforted by a divine revelation and enabled to see the big picture:
·
When my soul was embittered, when I was pricked
in heart, I was brutish and ignorant; I was like a beast toward you.
Nevertheless, I am continually with you; you hold my right hand. You guide me
with your counsel, and afterward you will receive me to glory. (Psalm 73:21-24)
What made the difference? God had enabled him to see the
eternal reward. The promised blessings would be fulfilled in heaven. Therefore,
the Bible instructs us to have patience and wait:
·
Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him, and
he will act. He will bring forth your righteousness as the light, and your
justice as the noonday. Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him;
fret not yourself over the one who prospers in his way, over the man who
carries out evil devices! (Psalm 37:5-7)
One source claimed, “The word “wait” appears 139 times
throughout the books of the Bible.” Clearly, patience and waiting are
thoroughly Biblical:
·
But they who wait for the Lord shall renew their
strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be
weary; they shall walk and not faint. (Isaiah 40:31)
Therefore, we shouldn’t be discouraged if our prayers seem
to go unanswered, and we are afflicted as Paul had been (2 Corinthians
12:7-10). Meanwhile, we are required to persevere in well-doing:
·
And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in
due season we will reap, if we do not give up. (Galatians 6:9)
If we receive immediate blessings when sowing our good
deeds, do not expect to receive an immediate payoff in the future:
·
Be patient, therefore, brothers, until the
coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the
earth, being patient about it, until it receives the early and the late rains… (James
5:7)
Waiting is the norm, despite the claims that we should
expect immediate prayer results:
·
Indeed, none who wait for you shall be put to
shame; they shall be ashamed who are wantonly treacherous...Lead me in your
truth and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation; for you I wait all the
day long. (Psalm 25:3, 5)
We are required to suffer as Christ had (2 Corinthians
4:10-11). Therefore, our Reward is not to be found in this world. Instead, like
Jesus, we endure by looking to the next world:
·
looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of
our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising
the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. (Hebrews 12:2)
Nevertheless, along with the painful trials, our Savior will
also deliver us, in due time, to teach us to trust in Him:
·
No temptation has overtaken you that is not
common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your
ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that
you may be able to endure it. (1 Corinthians 10:13)
But God often doesn’t provide the “way of escape” on the
next block. He has His own timetable (1 Peter 5:10).
If we are prepared to wait, we will not so easily become
discouraged. If we expect immediate results, we might think that something is
terribly wrong with what God had promised or even our faith.
Why do we have trouble waiting? I think that one big reason
is that we fail to understand the need for it. Therefore, we grieve when we
have to endure “needless” suffering.
Perhaps we are relying too much on our own limited reasoning,
but we are warned against this:
·
Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do
not lean on your own understanding…Be not wise in your own eyes. (Proverbs 3:5,
7)
Sometimes, I am wise in my own eyes. I had to endure four
setbacks due to lower back spasms, and I could see no purpose in it!
Result—anger and despair. Instead, I had to remind myself that my Savior has a
blessed purpose for it (Romans 8:28) preparing me for heaven:
·
For this light momentary affliction is preparing
for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison. (2 Corinthians 4:17)
We might not be able to see it, but we must praise Him for
it (Romans 5:2-5). We must grow in the appreciation of how little we know (1
Corinthians 8:2). Then, we will be more willing to trust in what the Lord knows.
Well said.
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