Taste and See

Tom Petty said it as well as anyone,
“Waiting is the hardest part.” For most of us, it
is not our nature to be sanguine when waiting.
Yet, much of life is spent waiting. On one
level, there is the waiting that is foisted upon
us simply because of the systems and
situations and policies and procedures that
are inherent in our being citizens of a
particular place in this world. On another level,
there is the waiting that we endure in
anticipation of whatever it is that we expect
(hope) will come next in our lives. We wait for
a better job. We wait for better circumstances.
We wait for better relationships. We wait and
hope for a better life, better health, etc. On a
much higher level, however, we often find
ourselves waiting—frequently impatiently—for
God to answer us. We ask and we pray (and
we beg!) for God to intervene. Embedded in
our questions and prayers and moments of
imploring is the unspoken assumption that
God will give us an answer, and that it will be
an affirmative one. Furthermore, we suppose
not only that God’s answer will be
confirmatory, but that it also will be one that is
based upon our timetable. But history and
experience habitually function as harsh
confederates to teach us that God works on
his own schedule. More than that, and far
better than that, our history and experience
with God teaches us that God is always
faithful, and that God always has our best
interests in mind, even when it seems that he
is silent, unresponsive, or unreachable.

Paul wrote in Romans 5:5, “Hope does not
put us to shame, because God’s love has
been poured into our hearts through the
Holy Spirit who has been given to us.” This
statement is of great significance in our
lives and our world. Paul declares with
confidence that—even though it may mean
that there will be periods of waiting—our
great God always honors those who call
upon him. God forever pours out his
steadfast love upon those who wait for
him. God unremittingly and aggressively
cares for his people, even when conditions
in life make it seem otherwise. God even
gives to us his Holy Spirit as a guarantee
of his love and promises. God is good.
–Ricky

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