GOD IS WAITING TOO! !
GOD IS WAITING TOO! (WAIT! IT’S PART OF THE PLAN! PART 2)
Last week I wrote about waiting by accident or by design being part of God’s plan. And while all week I kept thinking about the benefits of waiting I stumbled upon the fact that God also waits for us. My first thought was “Really! What on earth for?” Then I came to the stark realisation that for some of us, God is practically waiting and holding His breath to reach out and speak to us. But sadly we are nowhere to be found.
For the most part, God often speaks to us His children through His word with absolute clarity. But then when we wander away from Him do we even remember to spend time in His word? Spending time studying the word of God will naturally draw us closer to Him. The more we do this the best for us. But the further away we stray, the more difficult it is for God to catch our attention and speak to us. When we do wrong, it displeases God but rather than punish us or cast us away He patiently waits for us to find our way back to Him.
The one thing that is guaranteed to make us stray away and create a divide between us and God is sin. “It’s your sins that have cut you off from God. Because of your sins, he has turned away and will not listen any more.” Isaiah 59:2 NLT The book of Proverbs is filled with things that do not please God. In fact they are mostly referred to as abominations before Him. “A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, An heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief, A false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren.” Proverbs 6:17-19 KJV “He that justifieth the wicked, and he that condemneth the just, even they both are abomination to the LORD.” Proverbs 17:15 KJV Sin does not just happen on us. It grows because we feed it. A little here and a little there and before we know it we are neck deep. But God is so great. His love, mercy and grace are matchless. Even though He cannot behold sin because of His holy nature He still waits for us.
How are we then able to get God to stop waiting for us and to do or say what He wants? The key is repentance. We must first recognise our sin, our wrong and then come to Him and ask for forgiveness. In my native language, Yoruba, spoken in the South Western part of Nigeria; “to repent” is translated “ronu pa iwa da”. This literally means to think deeply (or meditate) and then change your ways. It is a commitment to personal change.
A change of conduct
A change of consciousness
A change of mind
A change of thinking
A radical turn from what used to be our norm
An intentional turning towards the things that please God.
Because of His love for us, He waits for us to make that turn around back to Him. “The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.” 2 Peter 3:9 AMP
“So the Lord must wait for you to come to him so he can show you his love and compassion. For the Lord is a faithful God. Blessed are those who wait for his help.” Isaiah 30:18 NLT It is therefore up to us to make the decision to go to Him.
He is slowly and patiently waiting for us to come to that place of repentance, rather than judge us and commit us to eternal damnation. But just a minute we do not have forever to make up our minds to make that change because “… the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.” 2 Peter 3:10 KJV
LET US THEREFORE NOT KEEP GOD WAITING. TURN BACK TO HIM. MAKE THAT CHANGE TODAY!!
OLUYINKA EGO-MARTINS ©