“Our fathers understood not thy wonders in Egypt; they remembered not the multitude of thy mercies; but provoked him at the sea, even at the Red sea. Nevertheless he saved them for his name’s sake, that he might make his mighty power to be known.
He rebuked the Red sea also, and it was dried up: so he led them through the depths, as through the wilderness. And he saved them from the hand of him that hated them, and redeemed them from the hand of the enemy. And the waters covered their enemies: there was not one of them left. Then believed they his words; they sang his praise.
They soon forgat his works; they waited not for his counsel: But lusted exceedingly in the wilderness, and tempted God in the desert. And he gave them their request; but sent leanness into their soul.”
PSALM 106:7-15
Many of our troubles through life — the leanness of our souls — come from these two underlined points. We can remember our birthday’s but not the wonders of the Lord, which exceed all birthdays. In fact, if not for the Lord’s intervention in our lives many of us wouldn’t have seen another birthday, yet, we still forget and lose hope and proceed forward without waiting for His counsel.
We all say we seek the Lord’s counsel, but how many of us wait patiently for it? How many of us believe the wait will be worth it in the end? How many of us actually prefer it over over our own earthly wisdoms and counsels?
How often have we given the Lord a timeframe for an answer and not received one? Is that due to impatience? Impatience is often linked to a lack of faith and belief that God will answer. We put a time limit on the God of heaven and earth to respond to our measly requests quickly, as if He were our servant and not the other way around.
God understands time. After all, He created it. He is supremely aware that there are prayers that do have a time limit, and yet, there are many prayers which do not need time limits, but we still subconsciously add one. We do this because we have soon forgotten the great interventions and wondrous counsel we have received in the past. Some believers even doubt that God hears them, such is their memory of the Lord’s action in their lives.
The Lord has not called us to a life full of leeks, garlics and instant prayer answers but of a desert experience where, if we follow faithfully and do not forget His oft-blessings, that desert WILL blossom like a rose in our lives, and streams pouring into our hearts and souls will replace the supposed arid wasteland, filling us up to overflowing.
Patience is a virtue, Lest We Forget!
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