Westside Church of Christ

We tend to be an impatient bunch. Microwaves to cook faster and computers to work quicker have accelerated our expectations. We used to browse through encyclopedias to gather facts, and now we pull out our phones. Research was tedious, but no more. Books are becoming obsolete. We demand instant results and food in minutes. The Lord doesn’t work that way.

He warned of judgment on a world that had become thoroughly corrupt from thoughts to actions (Genesis 6). Noah was an exception. He had resisted the influence of his culture and walked faithfully with God. It was his task to prepare for the coming destruction that would sweep the earth. It came more than a century later. Heaven is not in a hurry.

The Lord directed Abram to leave the familiar, comfortable surroundings of home for a destination yet to be announced (Genesis 12:1-3). The promises attached to that command were impressive. He would become a great nation, he would be blessed, his name would be great, he would be a blessing, God would be on his side in conflicts and eventually all families would be blessed through him. It all came true, but the timetable was a bit more than our “I want it now” culture might expect. The first child was born twenty-five years later. The ultimate “Son” wouldn’t be born for about twenty centuries.

The journey to the fulfilment of the promises made to Abram, who we know better as Abraham, took some unusual twists and turns. We probably would not include slavery in our plans, especially for four hundred years, but there it is. Joseph’s story takes the Lord’s people into the unlikely experience that saw them oppressed for generations. An insecure shepherd, a burning bush and an insistent God liberated them. Centuries of silence passed between enslavement and freedom. Our watches tick continually. Heavenly ones don’t.

Could they perceive that God’s plan was being worked out through their subjection? Probably not. We might bring expectations that all will be smooth sailing and our plans will unfold quickly if we are in step with the Lord. History proves that’s a mistake. It teaches us that time is irrelevant from an eternal perspective. We live under the dictates of clocks and calendars. God doesn’t. Days and years are the same to Him. He works at His pace, and that is always the right one.

The plans of heaven are the ones we should seek. Ours might be totally out of step with them. Paul has his agenda and headed for Asia. It seems like a well-intended strategy, but the Spirit blocked his path (Acts 16:6-7). It looked like a failure, but it wasn’t. The Lord had someplace else in mind. The word still got to Asia. It just took a different route. We can never second- guess His ways or timing. They may be perplexing, but they are always perfect.

Call to Praise: Romans 6:1-7

His word on it: Mark 16:16

Sermon: “Remember Your Baptism”