A Divine Work

There are times when we get so frustrated because those we love, our children, spouses, friends, family, parents, they are not always on the same page with Christ that we are. We forget that we are not the same today as we were last year or last month… hopefully. We forget that it was with a lot of time and love that God has done this work in our hearts. He has come alongside us on our journey. We forget that we are not the only ones on a journey and there was a point A, B and C that got us to point D.

Priscilla Shirer put it best in her book, Life Interrupted: Navigating the Unexpected:

“He (God) could do anything He wanted and make this immediately better and resolved. Instead He seems content to keep asking questions and addressing your heart motives rather than just fixing what’s broken or out of balance.

But He doesn’t ask us these hard, challenging questions just to hear Himself speak. He already knows what the answer is. His goal in posing such a question is to help us come around to agreeing with Him on the answer, unearthing the inner issues we didn’t even know were down there, giving us an opportunity to relinquish our claw grip on control and anger so that we can rest in the blessed assurance Christ died to give us.”

We always want God to be patient with us, yet we don't always want to give others that same courtesy. Yes, He could do things faster. But, how much would be lacking from our lives if God had not taken the time to “unearth” our inner issues. Do we really want to ask him to hurry along His process with others, especially the people we love, just because we are impatient?

I want to encourage you to continue to train up your children (proverbs 22:6) to love God with all their hearts, remembering they are on a journey. And all those other people that you love… pray for them. Pray that they would listen to the questions God is asking them and that they would really take a good look at those questions and what their answers mean in relation to their hearts. We can’t speed up someone else’s journey. So let’s not be frustrated, impatient or worry, let’s pray and remember that while we wait God is working.

“4Since ancient times no one has heard, no ear has perceived, no eye has seen any God besides you, who acts on behalf of those who wait for him.” Isaiah 64:4

“We are not metaphorically but in very truth, a Divine work of art, something that God is making, and therefore something with which He will not be satisfied until it has a certain character.” (C.S. Lewis, The Problem of Pain)

“3I thank my God every time I remember you. 4In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy 5because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, 6being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” Philippians 1:1-6