Right now, as I was reading my Spurgeon devotional, I realized that I might need to review back on Elijah’s challenge at Mt. Carmel. I would want to start writing on Elisha promising food and the Syrians fleeing. I still feel that I might need to learn more patience. Patience is very hard to perform especially in a community where people love to dilly-dally. Yet, there’s a difference between God’s delays and dilly-dallying. Today’s evening devotional brings me back to 1 Kings 18 where we can read this instruction:
Success is certain when the Lord has promised it. Although you may have pleaded month after month without evidence of answer, it is not possible that the Lord should be deaf when his people are earnest in a matter which concerns his glory. The prophet on the top of Carmel continued to wrestle with God, and never for a moment gave way to a fear that he should be non-suited in Jehovah’s courts. Six times the servant returned, but on each occasion no word was spoken but “Go again.” We must not dream of unbelief, but hold to our faith even to seventy times seven. Faith sends expectant hope to look from Carmel’s brow, and if nothing is beheld, she sends again and again. So far from being crushed by repeated disappointment, faith is animated to plead more fervently with her God. She is humbled, but not abashed: her groans are deeper, and her sighings more vehement, but she never relaxes her hold or stays her hand. It would be more agreeable to flesh and blood to have a speedy answer, but believing souls have learned to be submissive, and to find it good to wait for as well as upon the Lord. Delayed answers often set the heart searching itself, and so lead to contrition and spiritual reformation: deadly blows are thus struck at our corruption, and the chambers of imagery are cleansed. The great danger is lest men should faint, and miss the blessing. Reader, do not fall into that sin, but continue in prayer and watching. At last the little cloud was seen, the sure forerunner of torrents of rain, and even so with you, the token for good shall surely be given, and you shall rise as a prevailing prince to enjoy the mercy you have sought. Elijah was a man of like passions with us: his power with God did not lie in his own merits. If his believing prayer availed so much, why not yours? Plead the precious blood with unceasing importunity, and it shall be with you according to your desire.
There are times that when God says no, I should just stop asking for it. If I’m courting an obviously unbelieving woman, why should I pray for her when I should pray to be delivered from her? 1 John 5:14 says that we have the confidence to pay according to the will of God. Though, even within the will of God, there’s still the need to persist in many ways. Elijah told this servant to back seven times. Later, Elisha told in 2 Kings 5 to dip in the Jordan River seven times before the miracle could occur. Moses even had to deal with a hardened Pharaoh in Exodus 7-12. God allowed Pharaoh to harden the latter’s heart for a reason. There were a lot of lessons to be learned.
There are times when delays happen. Sometimes, some men marry later in life. Some believe Boaz was an old bachelor though I doubt he was 80 according to the Midrash. Maybe, Boaz was probably 40 since people marry that young during olden times. Boaz had to wait until Ruth came. Ruth was probably 23-26 years old if she married at 13-16 during those times. Life expectancy was so short that marrying early was a custom. Some people tend to rush into marriage and land with the wrong type of person. Samson’s lack of patience caused him to flirt with danger. David’s lack of discernment caused him to marry Michal who he was better off without.
When it comes to patience, it’s not about dilly-dallying. Sure, it’s acceptable to get mad at people who are habitually tardy. However, extreme patience is needed such as how to reprimand them without being unreasonable and unprofessional. Raising one’s voice is appropriate but screaming at someone’s face is considered assault. When baking a cake, precision and timing are necessary which requires patience. It might even require letting ingredients rest and then baking the cake for a fixed period of time. Procrastination is unacceptable then again so is impatience.
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