Waiting On God

When the people saw how long it was taking Moses to come back down the mountain, they gathered around Aaron. “Come on,” they said, “make us some gods who can lead us. We don’t know what happened to this fellow Moses, who brought us here from the land of Egypt.” (Exodus 32:1 NLT)

God often does not accomplish things on our timetable.  Human figures in our lives that lead us often seem absent or ineffective in making us secure. The issue may be who is the source of our security.  Waiting on God can either build our faith or fortify our unbelief.

God’s timing is always perfect, but according to human standards can seem a bit tardy.  The Lord is not just into accomplishing things but changing lives. What brings change to our lives?  It’s faith. The Bible says,  “The just shall live by faith.”  Waiting for God can increase or decrease our trust in him.  Many have a fast food faith.  If God does not bring immediate answers to our prayers, like Aaron and the people, we turn to idols such as our self-sufficiency to manage our lives.  “Wait” is what broke the wagon down.  Delay, if not embraced as part of God’s sovereignty, can do the same for our faith.  Belated-fulfillment of our expectations always creates a measure of doubt.  Without doubt, faith may never grow.  It all comes down to; do we trust in God?

Isaiah 40: 31 says, But those who wait on the Lord will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint.  I guess we can fly in faith like an eagle, or we can walk in unbelief like a turkey.

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Ken Barnes the author of “The Chicken Farm and Other Sacred Places”  YWAM Publishing
Email:  kenbarnes737@gmail.com
website: https://sites.google.com/site/kenbarnesbooksite/

Blogs: http://kensblog757.blogspot.com

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The Character of God

“Who is this that questions my wisdom with such ignorant words?  Brace yourself like a man, because I have some questions for you, and you must answer them.” (Job 38: 2-3 NLT)

Talk about bombing a test.  God is about to ask Job sixty-six questions, none of which he can answer.  Sometimes for God to reveal himself to us, he has to take a little bit of the swagger out of our step. 

Job, humanly speaking, was blameless in relation to the accusations of his friends. In spite of this, God did have a bit of a bone to pick with him.  Job was struggling with something which most of us grapple with from time to time.  Why do the righteous suffer?  It should be noted that God never did address this question directly, even though Job pleaded for it.  Such is life, the “why” question is often never entirely answered, but he does give Job the basis for answering this dilemma. Job is reminded that he is finite and that God is infinite.  When the fallible starts to make judgments about the infallible, we are starting to skate on thin ice.  One of my mentors, Paul Hawkins, often told us, “Never judge God by your circumstances, judge your circumstances by the character of God.”  Never let life’s events color your view of God.  Let God’s character traits, his goodness, kindness, justice, and many others, formulate your take on life’s twists and turns.

The Bible says; The Lord is just in all His ways (Psalms 145: 17a RSV). Either this is true, or it’s false.  We walk by faith and not by sight. Believe it, and you will see it.  Wait until you see it first, and you probably will never believe it.

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Ken Barnes the author of “The Chicken Farm and Other Sacred Places”  YWAM Publishing
Email:  kenbarnes737@gmail.com
website: https://sites.google.com/site/kenbarnesbooksite/

Blogs: http://kensblog757.blogspot.com

            http://gleanings757.blogspot.com

Podcasts: http://kensblogpodcast.blogspot.com

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Knowledge Without Wisdom

Elihu continued speaking:  “Let me go on, and I will show you the truth.

 For I have not finished defending God! I am telling you nothing but the truth,

 for I am a man of great knowledge. (Job 36: 1-2, 4 NLT)

Job's Suffering

A little knowledge is a dangerous thing.  Wisdom is the loving use of what we know.  Job’s friends lacked the understanding of how to apply truth to his suffering.  They may have been more concerned about being right than helping their friend.

It is possible to say right things in the wrong way or to utter true sayings at an improper time or place.  Many of the things that Job’s counselors said were true but did not apply to Job.  The Devil knows the Word of God and is not shy about using it on us, out of context.  Just because something is true, does not mean it is right to say it.  Elihu and his friends made the mistake that you and I often make.  They assumed that life is a mere cause and effect relationship.  Job was suffering; therefore, he was being punished for his wrongdoings. The Book of Job teaches us that life is not that simple. Bad things happen to good people. In Job's case, he suffered due to his righteousness.

A telling point in this interchange is when Elihu said that he only tells the truth and he has great knowledge (v 4).  Anytime we think we have a corner on the truth; it shows our ignorance.  If you think you are wise, you are probably not.  The smartest thing Elihu could have done would have been to talk less and listen more. As Abraham Lincoln once said, “Better to remain silent and be thought to be a fool than to speak out and remove all doubt.” 

There is a sign that hangs on the walls of many our public schools. It says, “Knowledge is Power.”  This is very true, but it’s also right that knowledge alone is dangerous.  The Bible says that before knowledge you need to have virtue (2 Peter 1:5).  If we speak to people with our heads but without our hearts, it is like pouring vinegar on a wound.  Knowledge without wisdom, like truth without grace, never heals the hurting.  Unlike Job’s friends, let’s lovingly apply knowledge to those in pain.

Image used with permission by Google.

Ken Barnes the author of “The Chicken Farm and Other Sacred Places”  YWAM Publishing
Email:  kenbarnes737@gmail.com
website: https://sites.google.com/site/kenbarnesbooksite/

Blogs: http://kensblog757.blogspot.com

            http://gleanings757.blogspot.com

Podcasts: http://kensblogpodcast.blogspot.com

                http://gleaningspodcast.blogspot.com

The Crucible of Life

Fiery Trials

You have tested us, O God; you have purified us like silver melted in a crucible. (Psalms 66:10 NLT)

Life at times, even for a Christian, can seem difficult.  Often, life’s burdens can feel too overwhelming to bear.  In spite of this, trials have a refining effect on our lives, and in the end are always for our good.

Darlene Cunningham, the co-founder of Youth With A Mission, once stood gazing out over the wall that separated free and communist controlled Europe. She had heard of the suffering and persecution that believers in Christ were experiencing in Marxist controlled countries.  She was safe, and warm, and well fed, but not so for her brothers and sisters on the other side of the wall.  She cried out to God, “Where is your justice, Lord?”  The Lord answered her. He said, no, you do not suffer like they do, but you do not know me like they do either.  Salvation is free, but discipleship is costly.  Discipline, God crossing our will with his, is always good for us and without it, we will never experience his holiness (Hebrews 12:10).  Just as the dross rises to the top when silver is heated, so is our sin brought to the surface by the trials and tribulations of life.   When it’s happening, discipline is not pleasurable, but in the end, it brings the peaceable fruit of righteousness (v. 11).  God’s purpose in our suffering is always redemptive.

In our culture we have a quick-fix mentality that is pervasive even in our Christian faith. There is no shortcut to holiness.  The pathway to imparted righteousness always goes through the crucible of life.  The process is a lot easier if we accept rather than resist the goodness of God.

Image used with permission by Microsoft.

Ken Barnes the author of “The Chicken Farm and Other Sacred Places”  YWAM Publishing
Email:  kenbarnes737@gmail.com
website: https://sites.google.com/site/kenbarnesbooksite/

Blogs: http://kensblog757.blogspot.com

            http://gleanings757.blogspot.com

Podcasts: http://kensblogpodcast.blogspot.com

                http://gleaningspodcast.blogspot.com