Is Jesus ever late?

“[As for me] I am poor and needy, yet the Lord takes thought and plans for me.

You are my Help and my Deliverer, O my God, do not tarry!”

Psalm 40:17

 

Is the Lord ever late?

As I think on this question there are things I am trusting Him for. Some of those things

are things that need to happen in the next few days and the next month. Some of the other things

have passed the timeline I made for them.

 

Is the Lord ever late?

 

As I continued to meditate on Psalm 40:17 Jairus came to mind.

His daughter was really sick and if nothing was done she would die. He decided to go to Jesus for help.

If there was anyone who could help He could. (Mark 5:22)

Everything seemed to be going well. Jesus had agreed to go to see his daughter but on the way,

some of his friends met him and told him not to worry the Teacher any longer. His daughter

didn’t make it. She had died.

Jesus was late?

But when all seemed lost, when it seemed like Jesus was late something incredible happened.

 

“Overhearing but ignoring what they said, Jesus said to the ruler of the synagogue, Do not

be seized and struck with fear; only keep believing.”

Mark 5:36

 

Jesus continued on to Jairus’s house and brought his daughter back to life!!

When it seemed like He was late, He really wasn’t.

Help us, Lord, to wait on You when all seems lost, even when it doesn’t seem to make sense!

 

The last story that came to mind was of Lazarus and his sisters. (John 11)

He was very sick and on the brink of death so his sisters sent for Jesus.

He loved this family very much. (John 11:5)

So you would think Jesus would go immediately but He didn’t.

 

“Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. [They were His dear friends, and He 

held them in loving esteem.]

Therefore [even] when He heard that Lazarus was sick, He still stayed two days longer in the same 

place where He was.” 

John 11:5, 6

 

By the time He got to Lazarus, He found out he had been dead for four days! I think it’s almost definite

that the sisters thought Jesus was late, extremely late! I can imagine them seeing their brother getting worse

and worse and feeling so powerless. Where is He? Why is He late?

That’s what I think they were asking themselves.  And eventually, their brother died.

What emotions were they going through?

 

I can identify with that because there have been things in my life I have been trusting God for that haven’t

come to pass yet and it’s been years, like over fifteen years of waiting on the Lord. Earlier in my walk with

Him I thought He didn’t care. I thought He enjoyed seeing me suffer. I thought He enjoyed getting my

hopes up only to crush them but I was so wrong. As I have grown in my walk with Him I have begun to

understand that the Lord is never late! His word shows us this truth so powerfully. There are so many stories

of Him coming through for His children at just the right time. Their idea of early might have been

wrong but God always came through at the right time.

 

What are you waiting on Him for, today?

As we ask the Lord to not tarry may we understand that He is never late. He comes through

at the right time. It may not be when we expect it but it’s at the right time.

He knows what you need. He has heard your prayers. He will not ignore you and He does not delight in

getting your hopes up. He wants to give you what you are trusting Him for.

Don’t lose heart and give up. The Lord will not tarry.

He loves you!

 

Bless you

 

Rolain

 

 

When courage is lost.

“[Those aboard] mount up to the heavens, they go down again to the deeps; 

their courage melts away because of their plight. 

They reel to and fro and stagger like a drunken man and are at their wits end [all their 

wisdom has come to nothing]. 

Then they cry to the Lord in their trouble, and He brings them out of their distresses.”

Psalm 107:23-30

 

“Their courage melts away because of their plight” 

 

I can understand that. Life throws things that have the potential to melt away your

courage. It can throw things that render you hopeless and weak.

Situations that leave you clueless and powerless.

But what I want to look at and discus is how you deal with those situations. There will always

be giants stronger than us. We will always be faced with hard things that we don’t have answers to.

But knowing how to deal with those situations will make all the difference.

 

Psalm 107:23 paints a vivid picture for us. There were sailors out at sea and a storm

arose. The sailors knew a lot about the sea and you would expect that knowledge would help them,

but it didn’t. Their wisdom came to nothing. With all their experience and knowledge there was

nothing they could do. They didn’t have answers.

All hope they had of being saved was crushed. Their courage was lost.

But things turned around because of one thing and one thing alone, God. Their situation turned around

not because they were skilled, not because they were sailors and had tons of experience, and not because

of their strength.

When they cried out to God in their trouble He heard and saved them. The bible says it this way,

 

“Then they cry to the Lord in their trouble, and He brings them out of their distresses.”

 

When you are at your wits end, when your courage is lost because of the enormity of the

storm cry out to God. He doesn’t expect you to deal with the storm by yourself. He expects you to call Him.

He expects you to trust Him in the fiercest of storms.

 

When the sailors cried out to God, He delivered them from their distress.

What are you going through today? What trouble are you facing?

Has your courage gone because of your plight? Is your hope lost?

Don’t lose heart in the storm.

God is with you and He will carry you through.

 

Bless you friends

 

Rolain

He prayed much…..

 

“Isaac was forty years old when he married Rebekah, the daughter

of Bethuel the Aramean of Padan-aram, the sister of Laban the

Aramean. “

Genesis 25:20

 

What happens when you don’t have all the answers to the

problems in your life?

There will be times we will come up against impossible odds,

situations we will be completely powerless against.

Isaac was blessed with an incredible woman by God but she

was barren! God led Abraham’s servant to her family. There

is an entire chapter (Genesis 24) dedicated to the servant

finding Isaac’s wife! There can be no argument she was the one

but she was barren……

The only explanation I could think of for that was, God had a plan.

He wasn’t caught off guard by Rebekah’s barreness.

Let’s read the next verse;

 

“And Isaac prayed much to the Lord for his wife because she was

unable to bear children;

and the Lord granted his prayer, and Rebekah his wife

became pregnant.”

Genesis 25:21

 

At face value the impossible situation in Isaac’s life was

resolved so easily. Isaac prayed, God heared and answered

his prayer. Lesson learned!

But it goes much deeper than that. Let’s take a look.

 

“Afterward his brother came forth, and his hand grasped Esau’s

heel; so he was named Jacob [supplanter]. Isaac was sixty years

old when she gave birth to them. “

Genesis 25:26

 

Jacob got married at forty right. According to their culture I

don’t think it took long for them to try to have a baby.

Let’s give it maybe a year.

If that is the case, Isaac prayed for nineteen years give

or take for a baby!

Isaac prayed much, the word tells us and he got his answer.

What is it like praying for something that long?

Who knows the things Isaac and Rebekah faced as they

trusted God for their baby?

Just know this, it took about nineteen years for Isaac to

get an answer to his prayer. He never gave up on God.

He never lost hope, instead he prayed much!

I am encouraged as I read their story because there are

things I have been praying for for a long time.

 

So let’s go back to that impossible sitution I was talking about

in the beginning of the post.

It’s not a mistake you are going through what you are going

through just like it was not a mistake when Isaac married

Rebekah even though she was barren.

God was very much in the know about that and He had a plan.

All I would say to you today is, don’t give up. God has a plan.

Isaac didn’t complain or murmur about his problem, he

prayed much!

Are you praying “much” in your impossible situation?

That could be the answer.

 

Be encouraged, be hopeful, because God sees what you are

facing. He has the answer and He will not let you down!

Pray much…..

 

Rolain

 

photo credit: google images

 

 

Why we need to be still…….

Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth! (‭Psalms‬ ‭46‬:‭10‬ NKJV)

I was meditating on this verse last night so I would like to

share some insights I got as I was doing that:

 

The word says, “Be still”

Stop all the fretting and worrying!

Stop the voices of fear and doubt!

Silence everything!

Being still is proclaiming to the enemy you believe God is bigger

than what you are facing right now!

It is you proclaiming, that God is bigger than your fears!

It is you proclaiming God is bigger than your storm because

if you can’t take the time to be still but have the time to fret

and worry then what are you really saying???

That’s what being still means.

Because in stillness we will see God for who He really is!

We will see God exalted!

In stillness we see God!

In stillness we will know Him!

It’s hard to see Him when we are scurrying about. It’s hard to see Him when we are striving in our strength!
It’s hard to see Him when our minds are racing wondering what to do!

Being still requires us to make a deliberate effort to silence the loud voices!

No matter how loud and convincing the voices are, they need to be silenced.

In stillness EVERY voice is silenced, every voice except God’s!

In stillness truth is revealed and lies exposed!

Be still and know I am God!

Rolain