PERSEVERANCE (PART 4)
SONG:
Forever O LORD, thy Word is settled in Heaven. It is settled
Forever O LORD, thy Word is settled in Heaven. It is settled
TEXT:
“For the vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the end it shall speak, and not lie: though it tarry, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry.” (Habakkuk 2 verse 3)
God sometimes delays His help for some reasons. It might be to test our faith, to mature our patience or probably for the fullness of time to come to pass.
The Lord is the all-knowing God. He knows the end of a thing from the beginning. He waits for the appropriate time to come before He releases His blessings on His people. Towards this end, it's wise that we follow Him with patience.
Let us not be too anxious to have our way before the appointed time so as to avoid reaping our blessings prematurely. Fruits are best consumed when they are ripe. You don't get the best of a fruit if it's consumed in its unripened state. This is the essence of this message this morning.
Understand that time is of the essence in God's dealing with humanity. The Bible talks of the "fullness of time", “appointed time”, “due time” (Galatians 4 verse 4, 1st Timothy 2 verse 6, chapter 6 verse 15; Mark 1 verse 15; Ecclesiastes 3 verses 1 to 8,11,17, chapter 8 verse 6, chapter 9 verse 11; Job 7 verse 1, chapter 14 verses 13 to 14). We discover that when a thing is done at the wrong time, the purpose for it being done may become frustrated. It may surprise you to know that God is more willing to help us than we ever think or imagine.
The Bible says that God will neither leave us nor forsake us. He also never reneges on His vision for us. Though it tarries, He urges us to wait for it because it will surely come (Habakkuk 2 verse 3). God is ever watching over His own and will not allow one trial that is more than us to come upon us. It's His greatest delight to see you and I fulfilled and happy. He leads us through the way we take in life, guiding us to ensure that we don't miss out on His will for us.
According to the Bible in the Book of Job chapter 23 verse 10,
"... he knoweth the way that I take: when he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold."
God knows all that we are passing through and He is very concerned about us and what happens to us. What is more, He has an end for us, which is to make the best of us.
As gold that passes through the furnace for the purpose of its purification, the same way, the Lord might allow us to go through certain trials and delays in life in order to remove the dross in us that we might ultimately shine for all to see. In other words, God will let the dross in us to be consumed, and then He will come gloriously to our help. In all of these, we need to persevere or rather be patient, so He could have His way.
Accordingly, James chapter 1 verse 4, the Bible says,
"But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing."
In addition to patience or perseverance, we need to be steadfast in our faith as we go through God's mold that is set before us to fashion us into perfection in Him.
PRAYER:
Thank you Lord Jesus for taking Your time to prepare me a royal diadem for Your glory. Thank You also for Your grace that enables me to persevere until I'm fully fashioned for that special purpose and time. My waiting shall never be in vain, in Jesus' Mighty name.