Too Long in When God Takes Too Long?

Today’s Scripture Readings:

OT: Job 25-26NT:

John 8W&W:

Psalm 69.19-28

Tomorrow’s Scripture Readings:

OT: Job 27-28

NT: John 9

W&W: Psalm 69.29-36

Today’s Reflection:

I won’t be posting tomorrow, so I went ahead and put tomorrow’s scripture readings in ahead of time. Today – much to Jenny’s relief – I am going to finish up my comments from Joseph Bentz’s book, When God Takes Too Long. In the last third of the book, Bentz provides “Perspectives on Time and God’s Timing.” Enjoy the excerpts below (page numbers appear before each excerpt):

100: We live in a culture tyrannized by time. Adopting a healthier attitude toward time will require us to break our tradition of going faster and faster.

102: Honore: Our culture’s love of speed has turned into an addiction, a kind of idolatry. Even when speed starts to backfire, we invoke the go-faster gospel…

103: It’s a mistake to take our own perception of time as the norm. God views time differently than we do.

105: Time measurements are arbitrary, we don’t have to enslave ourselves to them.

107: It only takes 8 minutes for a sunbeam to travel the 93 million miles from the surface of the sun to the earth. However the surface of the sun is not the start of that light beam’s journey. It actually started in the sun’s center… The solar core is so dense that a single photon, the fundamental unit of light, can’t go even a fraction of a millimeter before banging into some subatomic particle… As a result it can take hundreds of thousands of years for a photon to ricochet its way nearly half a million miles to the sun’s surface… And I’m tempted to lose heart if God makes me wait a few days or weeks before answering my prayer…

108: Sometimes the wait seems so long because our vision of something is far ahead of the reality. We have no choice but to wait patiently while reality catches up to the vision.

114: Robert Bly: “Driving Late to Town to Mail a Letter” It’s a cold and snowy night. The main street is deserted.The only things moving are swirls of snow. As I lift the mailbox door, I feel its cold iron. There is a privacy I love in this snowy night. Driving around, I will waste more time.

120: “Life is elsewhere.” I don’t want that to be my theme…

122-123: Throughout Scripture waiting is described not as a passive state but as a time of preparation, training, and staying the course as we head toward the eternal prize that awaits us.

124: Let the waiting accomplish its purpose. Just as the runner does not want to step onto the track unprepared, neither should we try to manipulate God into cutting short our time of preparation to rush us to the destination to which he is carefully leading us.

124-125: “Consider it a sheer gift, friends, when tests and challenges come at you from all sides. You know that under pressure, your faith-life is forced into the open and shows its true colors. So don’t try to get out of anything prematurely. Let it do its work so you become mature and well-developed, not deficient in any way.” (James 1.2-4, The Message, emphasis added)

126: Often the destination to which God leads us is not a place but a change in character!

127-135: What can Christians do to make sure we make it to the finish line? Strip away all distractions, and focus all your energy on the goal of following him regardless of the changing circumstances that surround you.Allow other Christians and heroes of the faith to serve as your role models and as encouragers as you endure the long race.

139-140: Hebrews 11.39-40, TM: “Not one of these people, even though their lives of faith were exemplary, got their hands on what was promised. God had a better plan for us: that their faith and our faith would come together to make one completed whole. Their lives of faith not complete apart from ours.”

140-141: The experience of Moses and Joshua help us appreciate the fact that we are not individuals in this journey. We complete each other’s work… My work is not complete without those who follow me. I need to invest through the people of God!

146: Ripple effect: When it’s over, it isn’t over.

150: God Has All the Time in the World – and More: An Eternal Perspective on Waiting

This Week’s Scripture to Memorize:

Work on putting all of Isaiah 53 together:

1 Who has believed our message and to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed?

2 He grew up before him like a tender shoot, and like a root out of dry ground. He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him.

3 He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering. Like one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not.

4 Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him, and afflicted.

5 But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed.

6 We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.

7 He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth.

8 By oppression and judgment he was taken away. And who can speak of his descendants? For he was cut off from the land of the living; for the transgression of my people he was stricken.

9 He was assigned a grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death, though he had done no violence, nor was any deceit in his mouth.

10 Yet it was the LORD's will to crush him and cause him to suffer, and though the LORD makes his life a guilt offering, he will see his offspring and prolong his days, and the will of the LORD will prosper in his hand.

11 After the suffering of his soul, he will see the light of life and be satisfied; by his knowledge my righteous servant will justify many, and he will bear their iniquities.

12 Therefore I will give him a portion among the great, and he will divide the spoils with the strong, because he poured out his life unto death, and was numbered with the transgressors. For he bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.

Even Jesus Waits

Today’s Scripture Readings:
OT: Job 23-24
NT: John 7
W&W: Psalm 69.1-18


Today’s Reflection:

In today’s New Testament reading, you will find Jesus’ brothers urging him to make himself known publicly by going up to Jerusalem and making a big “splash” at the festival that was about to take place. Jesus refused to do so, saying, “The right time for me has not yet come” (John 7.6). After a few days, Jesus did go up to the feast, but only when the time was right.

Joseph Bentz entitled chapter 10 of his book When God Takes Too Long: “Cling to God’s purposes – even if you have a quicker plan of your own.” Bentz says, “We almost never admit this, but many of us Christians believe we know better than God how to run our lives. Oh, he’s competent in the big issues … but we would rather take care of our lives… Sometimes our own impatience, lusts, or desires overwhelm our determination to wait on God and follow his leading… A certain shortcut to disaster: If God won’t help us, we’ll do it our own way…”

Jesus refused to short-circuit God’s timing. His life was defined by his waiting on God. He did not appear on earth until God sent him “when the time had fully come.” He waited 30 years and appeared in public ministry only after John the Baptist had prepared the way and he had been baptized by John. He requested silence of those he healed so that his followers would not prematurely make him an earthly ruler. He did not call on legions of angels to deliver him safely to the Father. Even in the Garden of Gethsemane, where he faced his horrifying death, he rejected the shortcut of his will, praying instead: “Nevertheless, not as I will but as you will.”

And now, he invites us to wait with him. For you see, there is coming a time when God will bring history to a close. Jesus has said that even he does not know the precise day. He is waiting for the Father to reveal it.

So put your waiting in that larger context and realize that you’re in good company: Jesus Christ!


This Week’s Scripture to Memorize:
Work on putting all of Isaiah 53 together:
1 Who has believed our message and to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed?
2 He grew up before him like a tender shoot, and like a root out of dry ground. He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him.
3 He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering. Like one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not.
4 Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him, and afflicted.
5 But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed.
6 We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.
7 He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth.
8 By oppression and judgment he was taken away. And who can speak of his descendants? For he was cut off from the land of the living; for the transgression of my people he was stricken.
9 He was assigned a grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death, though he had done no violence, nor was any deceit in his mouth.
10 Yet it was the LORD's will to crush him and cause him to suffer, and though the LORD makes his life a guilt offering, he will see his offspring and prolong his days, and the will of the LORD will prosper in his hand.
11 After the suffering of his soul, he will see the light of life and be satisfied; by his knowledge my righteous servant will justify many, and he will bear their iniquities.
12 Therefore I will give him a portion among the great, and he will divide the spoils with the strong, because he poured out his life unto death, and was numbered with the transgressors. For he bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.

Don't Make the Wait Longer

Today’s Scripture Readings:
OT: Job 22
NT: John 6
W&W: Psalm 68.28-35


Today’s Reflection:

Throughout life, I have often found myself in periods of waiting. I expect that I will go through similar periods in the future. (I am hoping that this current period of waiting is almost over as God is opening doors of opportunity for Lana and me…) It is not unusual for me – and I suspect for you – to experience restlessness as I wait for God to work his will out. But, if we should do anything while we wait, we should rest – rest in God, in his goodness, in his plan. When we learn to rest, we will find the wait shorter.

Joseph Bentz counsels us – in chapter 9 of his book When God Takes Too Long – Know your enemies – their names are Restlessness, Complaining, and Disobedience.

It was Israel’s pattern to go through periods of…
· Restlessness – which led to
· Complaining – which led to
· Disobedience – which led to
· A longer journey before God worked out his purpose for them.

When they violated the terms of the covenant, God was under no further obligation to them. He not only could abandon Israel without further ado, but really should do so. But, God does not abandon them. He gives them another chance. And another. And another.

Be thankful for God’s patience and his mercy. But, for your own sake, in times of waiting recognize restlessness in your spirit so that you can prevent complaining and disobedience, which will inevitably result in a longer wait!


This Week’s Scripture to Memorize:
Work on putting all of Isaiah 53 together:
1 Who has believed our message and to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed?
2 He grew up before him like a tender shoot, and like a root out of dry ground. He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him.
3 He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering. Like one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not.
4 Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him, and afflicted.
5 But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed.
6 We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.
7 He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth.
8 By oppression and judgment he was taken away. And who can speak of his descendants? For he was cut off from the land of the living; for the transgression of my people he was stricken.
9 He was assigned a grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death, though he had done no violence, nor was any deceit in his mouth.
10 Yet it was the LORD's will to crush him and cause him to suffer, and though the LORD makes his life a guilt offering, he will see his offspring and prolong his days, and the will of the LORD will prosper in his hand.
11 After the suffering of his soul, he will see the light of life and be satisfied; by his knowledge my righteous servant will justify many, and he will bear their iniquities.
12 Therefore I will give him a portion among the great, and he will divide the spoils with the strong, because he poured out his life unto death, and was numbered with the transgressors. For he bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.

What Time Is It?

Today’s Scripture Readings:
OT: Job 20-21
NT: John 5
W&W: Psalm 68.15-27


Today’s Reflection:

What time is it? Is it time to act or time to wait?

Have you been following the story of Captain Richard Phillips, captain of Maersk Shipping Lines’ vessel Alabama? He was taken captive by Somali pirates off the Horn of Africa and held hostage for five days. My daughter Emily said yesterday that it still seems surreal to her that we would be talking about pirates in 2009. I’m sure the thought of pirates isn’t surreal to Captain Phillips!

As I understand the story, Phillips actually offered himself as a hostage in exchange for the safety of his crew. When the pirates agreed to his offer, he then boarded the lifeboat with them and ordered the crew (who were reportedly very reluctant to do so) to leave him. When it was time to act, he acted valiantly, didn’t he? That made yesterday’s rescue of Captain Phillips all the more exciting and meaningful!

Snipers aboard the Bainbridge, a USN vessel, knew when it was time to act. After waiting for several days, absorbing criticism from those not on the scene, they acted when it was time to act. Seeing Phillips in imminent danger, they fired upon the pirates and rescued him. This incident reveals how important it is to know when to act and when to wait.

In chapter 8 of his book, When God Takes Too Long, Joseph Bentz counsels us: “Wait when it’s time to wait and act when it’s time to act.”

Citing the story of Israel in the area of the Red Sea, Bentz reminds us that “there will be nay-sayers who accuse you of being confounded in the land.” As Pharaoh and his ilk denigrated the Israelites in this way, so people may accuse you of being lazy, or of having a lack of faith, lack of talent, or lack of drive. Even well-intentioned friends may urge you to take matters into your own hands. I have personally experienced this in recent months.

But remember the words of Moses: “The Lord shall do battle for you… You shall keep still.” Keeping still sounds like the easiest command, but in reality it is the hardest. We would much prefer to be doing something… We wonder, “What if he doesn’t pull through for me? Will I kick myself for not forcing my own outcome?” As I have waited for God to move in my situation, I have had to answer that question many times.

But, as Bentz assures the reader of When God Takes Too Long, I am confident that God comes through in ways that my own efforts would never come close to matching! So I try to wait when it’s time to wait, and then I will be able to act with certainty when it is time to act!


This Week’s Scripture to Memorize:
How have you done on the verses from Isaiah 53? If you have applied yourself to memorizing these individual verses and sections of verses, you are now ready to work on putting all of Isaiah 53 together – a whole chapter! I challenge you to try it this week!
1 Who has believed our message and to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed?
2 He grew up before him like a tender shoot, and like a root out of dry ground. He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him.
3 He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering. Like one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not.
4 Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him, and afflicted.
5 But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed.
6 We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.
7 He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth.
8 By oppression and judgment he was taken away. And who can speak of his descendants? For he was cut off from the land of the living; for the transgression of my people he was stricken.
9 He was assigned a grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death, though he had done no violence, nor was any deceit in his mouth.
10 Yet it was the LORD's will to crush him and cause him to suffer, and though the LORD makes his life a guilt offering, he will see his offspring and prolong his days, and the will of the LORD will prosper in his hand.
11 After the suffering of his soul, he will see the light of life and be satisfied; by his knowledge my righteous servant will justify many, and he will bear their iniquities.
12 Therefore I will give him a portion among the great, and he will divide the spoils with the strong, because he poured out his life unto death, and was numbered with the transgressors. For he bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.

Past Performance IS Indicative of Future Results!

Today’s Scripture Readings:
OT: Job 18-19
NT: John 4
W&W: Psalm 68.1-14


Today’s Reflection:

In today’s economic climate, I am reminded of the investment disclaimer: “Past performance is not indicative of future results.” But with God, things are different.

As you read the Bible, you notice that God’s people were called to remember the heroic deeds that God enabled them to accomplish. But, not just the heroic deeds, they were also to remember the frailties, sins, complaints, failures of leaders, and tragedies. As they did, they saw that through every circumstance – good and bad – God kept working. His story kept moving forward. For them, the past performance of God was indicative of future results!

Continuing with his book When God Takes Too Long Joseph Bentz advises us (chapter 7): “Remind yourself of what the Lord did for you in the past” in order to be encouraged as we wait.

We can develop a sense of expectancy and hope as we wait by looking back at our lives and pulling out each blessing (not just the big things) and thanking God for it. And, don’t stop with the blessings. Think about the worst times you have endured. What has God gotten you through?

Thank God: with him, past performance is indicative of future results! That’s one investment you can bank on!


This Week’s Scripture to Memorize:
Isaiah 53.12: Therefore I will give him a portion among the great, and he will divide the spoils with the strong, because he poured out his life unto death, and was numbered with the transgressors. For he bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.

God-Filled Waiting

Today’s Scripture Readings:
OT: Job 16-17
NT: John 3
W&W: Psalm 67


Today’s Reflection:

Have you ever felt that you are wasting a lot of time waiting on the realization of your God-sized goals? Joseph Bentz, author of When God Takes Too Long, deals with this in a chapter entitled, “Have faith that in his good time God will sweep away the obstacles.”

Bentz issues a warning that a long wait might lead us to lower our expectations of God. When we have to wait, we interpret “not yet” to mean “never.” We don’t actually renounce our Christian commitment and turn away from God. Instead, we simply don’t expect much from him. We call ourselves his, but we refuse to dream big anymore or put ourselves on the line for him.

Remember, however, that the fact that God takes a long time to accomplish his purposes does not mean he lacks the power or will to move forward. Also keep in mind that the destination is not the only thing that matters. What happens during the “waiting” part of our story is really part of God’s purpose, not just empty time leading up to it. Waiting should be filled with God! It’s like what Lana and I experience when we travel together. There is a destination out there – arriving at Avery’s house for example – but we have learned to enjoy the drive, too! Traveling together is just as meaningful to us as arriving at our goal!

Bentz counsels us: “Whenever we’re in an “almost, not yet” period, we should ask ourselves what God may be accomplishing in our lives. In the future, we will find ourselves looking back with appreciation, even longing, for those days of almost, not yet. Many of us make the mistake of ignoring the opportunities before us on this day because we’ve placed all our attention on waiting for what’s coming next.”

Next time you’re waiting, wait with God!


This Week’s Scripture to Memorize:
Isaiah 53.12: Therefore I will give him a portion among the great, and he will divide the spoils with the strong, because he poured out his life unto death, and was numbered with the transgressors. For he bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.

Trust and Obey

Today’s Scripture Readings:
OT: Job 14-15
NT: John 2
W&W: Psalm 66


Today’s Reflection:

In his book When God Takes Too Long, Joseph Bentz devotes a chapter (# 5) to: “Wait and obey – even as things seem to get worse.” Bentz cites the promise of God to his people in the ministry of Jeremiah as an example.

Many of us are familiar with and find comfort in Jeremiah 29.11-14: “11 ‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the LORD, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. 12 Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. 13 You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. 14 I will be found by you,’ declares the LORD, ‘and will bring you back from captivity. I will gather you from all the nations and places where I have banished you,’ declares the LORD, ‘and will bring you back to the place from which I carried you into exile.’”

Bentz reminds us, however, that Jeremiah 29.11 is preceded by Jeremiah 29.10: “10 This is what the LORD says: ‘When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will come to you and fulfill my gracious promise to bring you back to this place.’” The promise came 70 years before the fulfillment. 70 years! Meanwhile, the nation disintegrated and the people were carried into exile.

Bentz provides illustrations to help us appreciate the importance of keeping the ultimate goal in sight while going through or entering into periods of waiting. The worsening situations that often go with waiting would otherwise prevent us from being willing to trust and obey: “What if in our homes we decided we had zero tolerance for the discomfort that goes along with remodeling or repairs. If the carpet wore through, we wouldn’t replace it. If the furnace died, we would go cold. If pipes burst, we would go without water. Our insistence on short-term stability would cause us long term misery. The same is true in other areas of our life. Why would we allow a surgeon to slice into our bodies in ways that will make us endure days or weeks of recovery? We put up with the pain and inconvenience for the sake of our long-term health. Why do athletes give up hours of their lives each day to difficult and painful training? They do it for the long-term rewards of increased physical accomplishment” (p. 57).

As you go through your periods of waiting and as things seem to worsen, remember the words of the old hymn: “Trust and obey, for there’s no other way to be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey.” (John Sammis).


This Week’s Scripture to Memorize:
Isaiah 53.12: Therefore I will give him a portion among the great, and he will divide the spoils with the strong, because he poured out his life unto death, and was numbered with the transgressors. For he bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.

Trust God

Today’s Scripture Readings:
OT: Job 12-13
NT: John 1
W&W: Psalm 65


Today’s Reflection:

Joseph Bentz’s book When God Takes Too Long is the continued focus of our articles. Today we are looking at one statement from chapter 4: “Trust God – even though you’re likely to feel his way is not the best way.” Bentz says, “One of the reasons God’s ways seem strange to us is that we’re used to counting on what we see as our own strengths and attributes to get us through life… God says, ‘stop looking at whether or not you can do this, and instead think about whether I can do it.’”

How often has this been true in your life? I know that I myself consistently try to figure God out based on what makes sense to me. I look at a situation and say to myself, “This is how I would work this out so it makes sense that God would do the same thing.” Let me give you an illustration.

Several weeks ago, I asked people to join me in praying that God would work it out so we would not have to put our “stuff” in storage when we sold our house. I reasoned that it would be easier for us to do it this way, so it would only make sense that God would want to do this for us. When it didn’t happen the way I wanted, the Lord helped me figure out one reason he answered in once the way he did: He wanted to display his great love to us through the kindness of so many who stepped up to help us! What I failed to realize, however, is that God wills something much better for us – in the moving and housing details – than what I can understand based on our situation. So, I am excited now precisely because we have put our stuff in storage! I can’t wait to see that “something much better” which he is working out!

I can’t wait to share with you how God works this all out! Meanwhile, don’t worry when God takes too long in your situation, either!


This Week’s Scripture to Memorize:
Isaiah 53.12: Therefore I will give him a portion among the great, and he will divide the spoils with the strong, because he poured out his life unto death, and was numbered with the transgressors. For he bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.

Accepting Your New Identity after the Wait

Today’s Scripture Readings:
OT: Job 7-11
NT: Luke 22-24
W&W: Psalm 62-64
(Extra chapters to make up skipped days from last week)


Today’s Reflection:

I’m back on line this morning! Sorry for missing a few days. The internet hasn't made it to my mother-in-law's home yet! I hope you stayed up with your Scripture readings. If not, I’ve listed last Thursday and Friday’s chapters for you.

Today, we continue examining some insights from Joseph Bentz’s book When God Takes Too Long. The third chapter is entitled: “Remember your identity in God during the long days of waiting.”

Bentz makes the observation that throughout the Christian life, God often wants to move us from one identity to another… Abram becomes Abraham; Saul becomes Paul; a shepherd becomes a giant killer then a king; Jeremiah becomes a prophet; Joseph becomes a ruler. The question we need to consider is simply this: “No matter how long I have been stuck in one identity, what if God swooped in and gave me a new vision of myself? Would I be willing to take the risk of moving into it?”

A long wait contributes to becoming stuck in one identity. Waiting tends to gradually eat away at our identity. We assume that because we have been stuck in this role so long, this must be who we truly are. We latch on to this assumption so automatically that we block out even the possibility for new opportunities.

Today, God is saying to you, to me: “You’ve seen yourself in a certain way for a long time, but now I want to do something completely new in your life. Will you obey me? Will you stake everything on this new vision and trust me for the abilities, the resources, the outcome?”

I personally have had to answer this question in recent months. I’m doing my best to let God move me into a new identity. And, I would urge you to let God begin to move you into a new identity today!

An interesting note: in this week’s Scripture to Memorize, we find God moving Jesus from the identity of suffering servant to that of victorious savior.


This Week’s Scripture to Memorize:
Isaiah 53.12: Therefore I will give him a portion among the great, and he will divide the spoils with the strong, because he poured out his life unto death, and was numbered with the transgressors. For he bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.

Are My Assumptions Good?

Today’s Scripture Readings:
OT: Job 5-6
NT: Luke 21
W&W: Psalm 61


Today’s Reflection:

Often when people reach different conclusions from the same set of evidence it is because they have come to the questions with different assumptions. Our assumptions determine where we end up just as much as our decisions – possibly even more. One of the best questions we can ask when facing a decision or pushing through troubles is: “Are my assumptions good?”

The following question is from chapter 3 of When God Takes Too Long (Joseph Bentz): “Assume that God is at work – even when you don’t understand what he’s doing”:

Am I really the best judge of my readiness? Moses thought he was ready when he killed the Egyptian, Joseph when he dreamed his grandiose dreams.

All along, we have known that God is at work even though we haven’t understood why life was unfolding as it was. Friends, I have for a very long time thought I was ready to turn the page to the next chapter in my life. God, however, had deemed otherwise, and we have waited for him to open the doors. Now, the page is turning and the future is opening up.

I would say to you (and remind myself and Lana) assume God is at work, for he is!


This Week’s Scripture to Memorize:
Isaiah 53.10-11: Yet it was the LORD's will to crush him and cause him to suffer, and though the LORD makes his life a guilt offering, he will see his offspring and prolong his days, and the will of the LORD will prosper in his hand. After the suffering of his soul, he will see the light of life and be satisfied; by his knowledge my righteous servant will justify many, and he will bear their iniquities.

Thrive in the Midst of Frustration

Today’s Scripture Readings:
OT: Job 1-2
NT: Luke 19
W&W: Psalm 59


Today’s Reflection:

Following are some thought-provoking excerpts from the book, When God Takes Too Long by Joseph Bentz:

7: Carl Honore – “The whole world is time-sick.”

8: Larry Dorsey – Time-sickness is the obsessive belief “that time is getting away, that there isn’t enough of it, and that you must pedal faster and faster to keep up.”

8: Honore – Time pressure is… “the chronic frustration that bubbles just below the surface of modern life … Anyone or anything that steps in our way, that slows us down, that stops us from getting exactly what we want when we want it, becomes the enemy. So the smallest setback, the slightest delay, the merest whiff of slowness, can now provoke vein-popping fury in otherwise ordinary people.”

8: As bothersome as those countless everyday incidents of waiting can be, the time sickness I have struggled with goes even deeper and is more disturbing. One of my greatest frustrations as a Christian is that I’m always waiting on God to act. This complaint – that God is too slow – is not one I have frequently stated out loud. It sounds too disrespectful, hints too much of a lack of faith.

10: In a time-obsessed culture, it’s easy to get so focused on what life will be like after some future event – once I get that promotion, once I graduate, once I get married, once I retire – that we lose the present with all its richness and joy and purpose.


This Week’s Scripture to Memorize:
Isaiah 53.10-11: Yet it was the LORD's will to crush him and cause him to suffer, and though the LORD makes his life a guilt offering, he will see his offspring and prolong his days, and the will of the LORD will prosper in his hand. After the suffering of his soul, he will see the light of life and be satisfied; by his knowledge my righteous servant will justify many, and he will bear their iniquities.

Sitting on the Couch in Obedience

Today’s Scripture Readings:
OT: Esther 9-10
NT: Luke 18
W&W: Psalm 58


Today’s Reflection:

From: When God Takes too Long; Joseph Bentz; pp 76-78

Dan, a successful Christian businessman, has an MBA and is an energetic, take-charge person. When he was 31 years old, his career was thrown off-stride when he lost his job with a major corporation. After several months of demoralizing unemployment, he landed a job with a business he thought was run by a Christian, but he quickly realized the company was riddled with unethical practices. He quit after only one week.

Unemployed for a second time, in eligible for unemployment benefits because of having willingly resigned from the second company, and running out of money to pay his bills, Dan prayed hard for God’s direction. He had done all he knew to do to find a new job, but nothing worked out. His worry deepened, edging toward despair. He says, “I began to pray. I asked God to direct me. I told him I would do what he wanted me to do but that he would have to show me the way. Nothing happened. My prayers seemed to rise no higher than the ceiling.”

Knowing Dan was unemployed, some friends in his men’s Bible study urged him to take this opportunity to pursue his interest in teaching English in China for a mission organization. However he couldn’t afford the cost of the three months of training or the living expenses involved, so that idea was out. After attending a Bible study one day, Dan confided his frustrations to a friend, complaining there was something seriously wrong in his life.

“How do you know something is wrong?” his friend asked.

“Because I’m at the end of my rope and God isn’t saving me. I have no job, and my money is running out. I’ve asked God to direct me, but he isn’t doing anything.”

“How do you know he isn’t doing anything?”

“I’ll tell you how I know,” said Dan, losing patience. “Because yesterday I did nothing. Nothing! I woke up, went downstairs and sat on the couch. I feel like a bum and a failure. I’ve tried everything I know to try. If God was doing something, He wouldn’t have let me sit there all day, waiting.”

“Maybe you didn’t sit there long enough,” said his friend.

This sounded absurd. Dan didn’t want to sit there at all, let alone longer. He went home feeling desperate. He prayed to the Lord, “I know you’re real, and I know that you see me and care for me. I don’t know what to do. I’ve pursued all my opportunities. You seem silent and distant. Please show me what to do. I will wait until you make the next move.”

For Dan, this was the scariest prayer of all. He said, “I didn’t know if I’d have to wait an hour, a day, a week, or a year. But I knew I was committed to not making a move until God did something. Would an angel appear? Would someone come to the door and offer me the perfect job? Would I starve to death on the couch?

Dan sat on his couch for one day, then another, then another. His roommates came and went. The sun rose. The sun set. It rose again. It set again. He said, “I wish I could say it was a spiritual experience, but it wasn’t. At least not in the way you may be thinking. I didn’t fast and pray. I didn’t get on my knees and seek the face of God. I didn’t spend hours singing and praising God for his goodness. No, I just waited in quietness and stillness. I felt numb.”

When the breakthrough finally came, things moved quickly. One afternoon the telephone rang, and a friend who rarely called was on the line. He asked how Dan was doing. “I’ve been sitting on the couch for days,” said Dan.

“Would you be interested in a job?” asked his friend.

Dan was interested. The work was temporary, a project that would make good use of his degree. The pay was exactly the amount Dan needed to live on and, if he chose, to compete the training for the trip to China. The project would last for three months, which was (coincidentally?) exactly the length of time before the China training program started. He took the job. He went to China.

Dan said, “I went from sitting on the couch one day to having a job and preparing for a year in China. Who could have imagined that sitting on a couch and doing nothing would produce such a flurry of activity and opportunity? Don’t ask me to explain the theology of it all. I only know I learned a lesson about what it means to ‘wait on God’ that I’ve never heard preached in church.”

He had learned to take his station and let God do battle for him. He learned to truly trust the Lord. “At the core of my faith was a big fear that maybe God couldn’t make something out of nothing, even though I was taught that He’s the Author of creation. The answer to that fearful question never became clear for me until the world I had created – and was feverishly trying to maintain – fell apart and came to a halt.”


This Week’s Scripture to Memorize:
Isaiah 53.8-9: By oppression and judgment he was taken away. And who can speak of his descendants? For he was cut off from the land of the living; for the transgression of my people he was stricken. He was assigned a grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death, though he had done no violence, nor was any deceit in his mouth.

When God Takes Too Long

Today’s Scripture Readings:
OT: Esther 8
NT: Luke 17
W&W: Psalm 57


Today’s Reflection:

Recently a friend loaned me the book When God Takes too Long by Joseph Bentz. I would recommend it. Over the next several weeks, I am planning on sharing some of Bentz’s insights with you. Today, I will just list the chapter headings, which are…

10 Principles of Waiting on God

1. Expect some frustrating detours if you’re going to follow God

2. Assume that God is at work – even when you don’t understand what he’s doing

3. Remember your identity in God during the long days of waiting

4. Trust God – even though you’re likely to feel his way is not the best way

5. Wait and obey – even as things seem to get worse

6. Have faith that in his good time God will sweep away the obstacles

7. Remind yourself of what the Lord did for you in the past

8. Wait when it’s time to wait and act when it’s time to act

9. Know your enemies – their names are Restlessness, Complaining, and Disobedience

10. Cling to God’s purposes – even if you have a quicker plan of your own


This Week’s Scripture to Memorize:
Isaiah 53.8-9: By oppression and judgment he was taken away. And who can speak of his descendants? For he was cut off from the land of the living; for the transgression of my people he was stricken. He was assigned a grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death, though he had done no violence, nor was any deceit in his mouth.