Aren’t we so glad to have things our way and at the speed of our internet connection? Music from itunes in seconds, drive-thru with food our way. Isn’t life Great!! But wait…
I think that we forget that once upon a time life was slow, and that people had to wait for stuff. I mean really wait. A letter was a hand written piece of art that came from the heart of someone else. A package was truly a surprise because you never know when it would arrive an
d there was no online package tracking at ups.
What’s my point? Well, the other day I was waiting on God to show me a way to take care of some personal issues. The truth was I was so in a hurry to see it happen I missed it. However, it looked nothing like that package that I had been expecting. You see, what happened was this, in a time of prayer and meditation He took me to Acts 4:21, and in paraphrase, the believers asked God to stretch out His hand to do signs and wonders so they could BOLDY proclaim the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. Then the place was shaken…
So I was ready to proclaim the gospel, but I then was like… hmmm this place wasn’t shaken. Then I was thinking I haven’t seen any signs and wonders and I began to get a little upset. I wanted to see what God was talking about and I wanted it right now. I wanted to not only see it I wanted to taste it, super sized!! I wanted to have God lining up people in wheelchairs outside the church doors, and people who medicine can’t cure right behind them. Let’s have a God touching people parade! Let’s make it flashy so the world can see the power they make fun of, let’s do this and do this now!
The thing was I was seeing those things and I did not recognize it. I have been so programmed to see “the power of the kingdom” in a certain way (that by the way is wrong) that I missed what God was doing because it didn’t fit into my right now box happy meal picture of Him. See in John Chapter 7, Jesus’ brothers are making fun of Him. They are telling Him that He should come to festival and show off His powers “so then they would believe.” Jesus replied, it is not yet my time. They mocked Him even more, because they wanted to see a McDonald’s Jesus. That would have been entertainment, not life changing. Life change is where the power is. When we see people healed on TV, that is entertainment. (Sorry about the bluntness, but if you disagree leave a comment and we can talk) Seeing things on the tube doesn’t change the next thing that I was going to do in my day.
God likes to do things under the radar. Not big and flashy, but simple and deep where real things happen. Why, look at the patterns in the Bible. Jesus prayed and healed thousands, but the deep things he did with 12 men changed the world…
So let me challenge you before you being to get mad at God for not showing up they way you expected, take the time to really look at what He told you. Did He say, I am going to do a big flashy work so that the whole world can recognize that power of God in YOU? or did He say that I won’t share my glory, and signs and wonders will follow those who believe…
Think on that… Blessings!
Associate Pastor @ Restoration Fellowship Church Sarasota FL.