We are always in a hurry, but God isn't (Mark 9:1) - the hard work of waiting.

SCRIPTURE: Mark 9:1 (TM)

Then he drove it home by saying, "This isn't pie in the sky by and by. Some of you who are standing here are going to see it happen, see the kingdom of God arrive in full force." In a Light-Radiant Cloud…”

STORY by Jon Johnston:

Time of the Mad Atom

This is the age

Of the half-read page.

And the quick hash

And the mad dash.

The bright night

With the nerves tight.

The plane hop

With the brief stop.

The lamp tan

In a short span. The Big Shot

In a good spot.

And the brain strain

The heart pain.

And the cat naps

Till the spring snaps --

And the fun's done!

OBSERVATION:

We are always in a hurry. No time to say hello or goodbye. We are so busy that we run ahead of God. We don’t have time to wait for him. Why is he taking so long to make up his mind as to what needs to happen… after all it is so obvious as to what should happen? We are always in a hurry.

The crowds pressed in on Jesus. They wanted another miracle. They desired more wisdom. They had their needs. And Jesus? He slipped out the back to door to go pray in the mountains. It is about setting priorities.

But Lord we are ready to get moving with this ministry thing. We’ve done the work. We’ve seen the need. Why cannot others see it too… it is so obvious. What we hear, if we are truly listening, is God saying, “Patience my child.”

Could we be losing out on the joy of the journey by wanting to arrive at the destination? The proverbial question from the children in the backseat is, “How much further?” A wise youth director put me on a path of what has become a standard line for me and now my oldest daughter, “Five more minutes.”

We want what we want and we want it NOW! We are always in a hurry. We want to see the Kingdom stuff happen… and soon. And in truth, some will, but not most of us. We have to wait. We have to patiently wait. The seeds have been planted and now we wait. We wait for God’s timing. It is hard work this waiting. We want more miracles. We want more wisdom. We are in a hurry. Let’s move on, let’s arrive, let’s get it done, and God says, “Five more minutes.”

PRAYER:

Lord, we live in a world of instant, fast, and quick. Then we realize that those words are not necessarily a part of your Kingdom’s work. Teach us to slow down. Help us to wait.