Samuel D. High
sdhigh@aristotle.net
-----Original Message-----
From: "Smith, Lynn " <lsmith20@Central.UH.EDU>
Sent: Sun, 27 Jul 2008 08:19:53 -0500
To: "Smith, Lynn " <lsmith20@Central.UH.EDU>
Subject: Morning Manna July 28 BP: Ps. 119:153-160; RBTTY: Acts 28; Job 46-48
July 28 “Divine Delays”
“Consider my affliction and deliver me—for I do not forget Your Law. Plead my case and deliver me; quicken me according to Your Word. . .Consider how I love Your Precepts; quicken me, O Lord, according to Your lovingkindness.”
Psalm 119:153-154, 159
“He slumbers not, neither does He sleep, Pilgrim” (Ps. 121:3-40); He’ll show up when it’s time.
Have you ever thought what it’d be like to be God for a day or even a moment? While the mere thought of this in alluring—particularly when going through a difficult time—we should not relish the idea too long. . .for none of us could handle being omniscient, omnipotent and omnipresent. We’d end up like Martin Luther, when commenting on John 3:16, said “If I were God, I would have already obliterated the whole world.”
So true, so true.
Think of it:
If we grow weary of others continual haranguing, murmuring and complaining for even a day, how much more so the One Who knows all 6.2 billion of us individually and intimately. He hears every disgruntled comment and knows every sinful desire of our hearts (Heb. 4:12). Yet, instead of zapping us and saying “I think I’ll go off for a while,” He demonstrates His “mercies by which we are not consumed and His faithfulness, which is new every morning” (Lam. 3:21-23; Ps. 119:156).
Thank God He’s God and we’re not!
Even so, at times we still act like He’s some hard-of-hearing, senile, grandfatherly-type individual Whom we need to continually remind of our needs. The psalmist’s plea of “Consider (Heb. ‘ra ‘ah’—‘look at, pay attention to, heed, etc.’) my affliction and deliver me” and “Plead my cause and deliver me” are more of like commands than they are humble pleas.
And, what’s the basis for such an intense exhortation?
“For I do not forget Your Law” and “Consider how I love Your precepts.”
Hmm. . .sound familiar?
It’s easy to try and bargain with God, subtly (and sometimes even flagrantly) reminding Him of how often we read the Bible, go to church, the amount we give, the number of visits we make, etc.
But, then we remember, “It’s all about Him. All about Him.”
And, then we also realize that “humility” and “humiliation” both come from the same Latin root word “humilis.”
Thus, it could be the Heavenly Father’s “delays” are Divine appointments and opportunities designed to define and refine our faith (I Pet. 1:6-7). And, they’re definitely times for “growing in grace and the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (II Pet. 3:18). So, do not ask for deliverance from your difficulties, Pilgrim; instead, ask for “grace sufficient” (II Cor. 12:9-10) and His “peace that passes all understanding” (Phil. 4:7, 9) as you’re further transformed into His likeness.
Thanks,
Mr. Lynn M. Smith
Department Business Administrator
Department of Economics
204C McElhinney Hall
(713) 743-3802 (office)
(713) 743-3798 (fax)
LSmith20@central.uh.edu (email)
http://www.class.uh.edu/econ/ (department website)
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