Around 4 years ago, God told my sister to prepare for a disaster of some kind. She was to buy equipment to survive in the mountains. For two years she bought these things from Amazon and was finally ready. She expected something to happen very soon, so did I. She was very impatient and wondered why God was taking so long to fulfill his words. She has now learned patience and is waiting on Him.
All this
time, I’ve been reminded of how God made promises to many people in the Bible,
but they had to wait for many years for their appearance.
Noah was
told to build a boat. God told him the exact measurements and wood that he must
use. Noah did this, but it took 120 years for him to finish. All the while, he
preached to the people and warned them, but none believed him, and in the end
only he and his family went into the ark and were saved.
God promised
Abraham he would give him a son, but God waited for 20 years until his wife Sarah
conceived. During that time of waiting, Abraham sinned and took matters into his
own hands and took his wife’s slave, Hagar, and had a son, Ishmael, by her.
This caused great heartache to all concerned. But God was with Hagar and
Ishmael and helped them when they were forced to leave Abraham’s camp.
Moses was
told he would rescue the Israelites from slavery in Egypt. He killed one Egyptian
and was forced to flee for his life to the desert. There he lived for 40 years
as a shepherd. He was humbled and close to God and now was ready for God to use
him.
The
Israelites were in the desert for forty years because they didn’t trust in God
to help them fight for the land in Caanan. God waited until a new generation
arose who would trust him to help them.
David was
anointed King of Israel when he was very young. Saul was king at the time and
he was jealous of David and tried to kill him. David fled and lived in the
caves and mountains for around 20 years until he was finally crowned King of
Israel.
The prophet
Daniel was taken prisoner from Jerusalem, castrated and brought into King
Nebuchadnezzar’s palace. He was taught the laws and ways of the Babylonians and
given a job. He was exiled there for 70 years, when Cyrus defeated the
Babylonians. God had made a promise that Cyrus would let the Jews go back to
Jerusalem and rebuild it. Cyrus read the promise written years before and he
obeyed God and did that.
After Jesus
was crucified, arose from the dead and went back to heaven, many believers thought
he would return right away. None of them knew it would be many years before his
return. Perhaps some of the disciples knew this though.
In the
1980s, I noticed the rise of Christians getting deeply involved in politics. I
knew from reading the book of Revelation, the end times would be when politics
and religion would unite to persecute people in the Western nations. I thought
Jesus might be returning very soon. Well, it’s been around 40 years and he hasn’t,
but politics and religion are now hand in hand in the Republican Party.
Christians have protested against gay people and made a fuss about everything
they don’t like.
One thing I
know for sure, none of the early Christians, nor Jesus himself, would have ever
protested against the Romans or the Greeks. They told the people who joined
their churches not to live as the Romans and Greeks lived. They told them of
the love, mercy and forgiveness of God and how to live a noble life. The Apostle
Paul even said he would have nothing to do with judging those who weren’t
Christians. That was up to God.
Some of the
year spans in this article might be off and few years, but I am 74 now and don’t
feel like checking everything. May the Lord bless you with his light and presence.
