Delay is not Denial from God - September 17, 2013

Habakkuk 2:3
3 For still the vision awaits its appointed time; it hastens to the end—it will not lie. If it seems slow, wait for it; it will surely come; it will not delay.

The Bible is filled with examples of how God uses a long process to develop character, especially in leaders. He took eighty years to prepare Moses, including forty in the wilderness. For 14,600 days Moses kept waiting and wondering, "Is it time yet?" But God kept saying, "Not yet."

Great souls are grown through struggles and storms and seasons of suffering. Be patient with the process.

Don't get discouraged. When Habakkuk became depressed because he didn't think God was acting quickly enough, God had this to say: "These things I plan won't happen right away. Slowly, steadily, surely, the time approaches when the vision will be fulfilled. If it seems slow, do not despair, for these things will surely come to pass. Just be patient! They will not be overdue a single day!" (Habakkuk 2:3 LB)

Remember how far you've come, not just how far you have to go. You are not where you want to be, but neither are you where you used to be. God isn't finished with you so keep moving forward. Even the snail reached the ark by persevering!

Great souls are grown through struggles and storms and seasons of suffering. Be patient with the process.
is what i meant to say in the previous devo. Growing quick times will only result in us breaking and falling down. If we do not struggle and suffer, how do we know how to deal with it. But growing slowly and steadily, we will experience things that we would not have experienced if we were to grow fast.

We have ALL changed drastically over the past year. We never know how God will use us and we never know how we will grow. But what we know for sure is that He will grow us.

I think something we need to recognize is the difference between the responsibilities that we have while alive, and while dead.

First off, I think we can safely establish that becoming closer with God is something that definitely and undeniably does not stop even after death. The plans God has for us can take place at any point in time, whether it's in our life or out. For all we could know, what God has planned for us could be something that's to happen after our death, and our role in the event could be somebody to set up or trigger the event ahead of time.

I guess what I mean and what should be extracted from the devotional is that the plans God has for us could take place at any point in time and our narrow peripheral in most cases would not be wide enough to see it coming.

I think the main idea of this whole devo is to be patient. Most of us are always trying to rush being a Christian and trying to rush learning more about God and growing in faith. But this is just going to lead you into the opposite direction and it will be a lot harder to focus on trying to become closer to God.
If we want to grow in faith and learn more about God, taking our time is the way to go. God isn't in a rush, and we shouldn't be either. By growing slowly we will realize that we learn more about Him and experience Him a lot more as opposed to trying to rush everything and grow fast.

So what we should always remember is that God is not in a rush, and He will guide you into the right path in due time as long as you keep believing in Him and everything He has done and will do for you.

it's so easy to pray to God, wait for whatever you prayed for to happen and then tell yourself oh I guess he didn't answer me this time when it doesn't immediately come to pass. We are constantly reminded that God is eternal but our lives on earth are extremely short and insignificant in comparison. Yet somehow when we expect God to answer our prayers- we seem to forget that he has eternity to answer those prayers for us. This is sort of continuing on yesterday's message: growing spiritually is a long process, and we should be patient and trust in God. Our life on earth isn't the only life that we have. It's the shortest part of our eternal life, and we can't expect God to answer all our prayers right now.

I can really connect to this message because God puts us through these long processes with ups and downs to grow us spiritually. An example of this in my life was living in Chicago for the past 4 years. At first I was completely angered and upset at the news that we were moving again, but through what seemed to me as terrible news, God truly changed me for the better. As time progressed, I saw how God was working in me; through the good and the bad, God had not abandoned me but instead guided me on a 4 year process that grew my heart and mind. The devo points out that we may feel denied or unacknowledged by God, but we know he always listens and cares for us.

My first math test tomorrow... I'm so tired...

I guess that we may feel deserted when things don't go our way or if it's beyond our understanding. Delay isn't denial at all from God, I feel as if as He's waiting for us.
We waits so we can begin a new process within our lives, he truly does want the best for us. But we need to give Him something that he could work with. That being said, we have to show Him that we're capable on doing what we ultimately want to do. He knows us better than we know ourselves, as we may overestimate or underestimate our capabilities. He knows the right moment for each and everyone of us, just like a play book. If something doesn't go the way it should've, there's always a plan B, C, etc. But that obviously takes time and God. He feels our anxious hearts as we take a step further to the next beginning of our lives. We constantly want more, but what makes us mature is knowing how far we could go at a certain time and knowing when to slow down and rest.

We might be eager to do something, but that doesn't mean that God wants us to do it now. He might be telling you to slow down, and that He first needs to prepare you for the journey.
Just as a father who wouldn't let His child drive a car without making sure that they know what they are doing and guiding them along the way, God might be telling us that He doesn't want us to go there just yet, but that doesn't mean that we won't get there.

Whenever I was filled with passion and eager dedication to God, I wanted things to start happening, things that would change my life and glorify His kingdom. But like a soldier going to battle, I realized that my eagerness and willingness to serve God wasn't very useful unless I used that energy to train and actually become useful in the battlefield.

We don't know for sure what God has planned for our lives, so instead of waiting for something to happen, we should be training and preparing for all kinds of tests and trials and difficulties we may encounter.

This week's devos seem to be repetitive and with the same general message: have patience.

Everyone has done this before: in a time of need and/or desperation, we all prayed to God, hoping the answer and the solution will come right away to aid us. But has that happened? Perhaps, but often times no. God requests faith and patience from you, and in return, we will serve for his great plans. Meanwhile, we should be readying ourselves to fulfill God's purpose in us, whatever that may be. Eagerness and impatience are useless, whereas faith and readiness is what God may be looking (and waiting for) in us.

Being patient is not exactly my er, forte, however it should be. Time in God's eyes has been [interestingly] described in the bible as such:
2 Peter 3:8-9
8 But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. 9 The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you

Keep faith, take the leap and have patience: God has not forgotten you nor is he neglecting you!