Remember how short my time is:
whereof hast thou made all men in
vain? (Psalm 89:47).
Impatience in prayer is all too
common. The outstanding
characteristics of the great New
England preacher Phillips Brooks were
poise and imperturbability. His close
friends, however, knew that, at times,
he suffered moments of frustration and
irritability. One day a friend saw him
pacing the floor like a caged lion.
"What is the trouble, Dr. Brooks?"
asked the friend. "The trouble is that
I'm in a hurry, but God isn't!" Brooks
replied.
The psalmist is so impatient in
praying here that he fears he may die
before God answers: Remember how
short my time is.
But God is always on time.
The deadline you are facing may be
moving up fast but there is time
enough for God to do what He wants
done. Beyond that, one is left with
what man wants done. And that may not
be important at all.
Andrew Murray wrote: "Be assured that
if God waits longer than you could
wish, it is only to make the blessing
doubly precious. God waited four
thousand years, till the fullness of
time, ere He sent His Son. Our times
are in His hands; He will avenge His
elect speedily: He will make haste for
our help, and not delay one hour too
long."
A. J. Gordon said: "The promises of
God are certain, but they do not all
mature in ninety days."
F. B. Meyer warned: "The Bible seldom
speaks, and certainly never its
deepest, sweetest words, to those who
always read in a hurry." And so it is
with prayer. Let us take time to pray.
And let us take time in prayer,
lingering long enough to speak and to
listen. Let us then allow time for God
to answer at the precise moment that
fits into His perfect will. The time
may seem short...but He has time.
|
