Focus: Divine Delay

Text: 2Pet.3:9

"The Lord is not SLACK concerning his promise, as some men count SLACKNESS; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance."

In Exodus 32:1, the children of Israel felt Moses had delayed to come back from the Mount of God, and as a result, they quickly took to idols and acted carelessly. They failed to understand that one place we can't afford to be in a hurry is in the presence of God.

Moses was relaxed in God's presence until God was ready to release him. He came out from the presence of God glowing with glory and having the law that would constitute Israel into a nation. A nation is truly a nation only when they have drafted and adopted for themselves a binding constitution. But Israel being a nation under God needed a constitution from God, a constitution which they eventually consented to and said, " All the words which the LORD hath said will we do" (Ex.24:3). The constitution serves as a nation's grand norm for policy decisions and good governance. Israel acted impatiently and foolishly. They lost a sense of decorum because they couldn't wait a little.

Moses out of anger broke those tablets of stones on which the law was written.

In Luke 1, Zachariah delayed to come out of the temple. We read that "the people waited for Zacharias, and marvelled that he tarried so long in the temple" (Lk.1:21). And when he finally came out he was dumb, and the worshippers "perceived that he had seen a vision in the temple: for he beckoned unto them, and remained speechless" (Lk.1:22). Zachariah had a dealing with God, and John the Baptist was the result of that divine encounter.

Do you know why the people waited all that long for Zachariah? It was because he had to invoke or pronounce the blessings of God upon them before dismissing them. So they endured the delay of the priest for the sake of the benediction.

In John 11, the Lord Jesus Christ delayed to come to the home of Mary and Martha to help Lazarus recover from his illness. For the two sisters, it was a case of emergency, for their own brother was dying. And Jesus didn't come until Lazarus had been dead for four days. The two sisters felt Jesus didn't exhibit a sense of urgency in what they saw as an emergency situation. They failed to understand that the design of God in the circumstance was for Jesus to raise the dead, not to heal the sick.

Let us learn to follow God patiently. We are serving the God who knows all things, sees all things, and has all power. He is present everywhere and rules over the universe. He has everything concerning us all figured out. He doesn't run fast, but He never comes late. According to His own clock, He is always right on time. He says through Isaiah the prophet, "My salvation shall not tarry" (Isa.46:13).

I declare that your salvation is closer than when you first believed. The Lord will hasten His word to perform it.

Child of God, if you are going to enjoy your relationship with God, you certainly need an overdose of the virtue called patience. Take the pill of patience; it will help you to be calming down and resting more on God's word. God is in no hurry to do anything that does not centralize or focalize His glory, be it in the immediate or in the ultimate. God goes for whatever works for our good and brings forth His glory.

His delay is not a denial. Don't lose faith, nor do anything rash or unreasonable. God is already in your neighborhood. He will soon get to you. He is not slack about His promise. Amen.

by Bishop Moses E. Peter