How Long?

The question occurs many times in the Bible, especially in the OT. Up until the psalms, it asks how long? men and nations will be stubborn and disobedient. But in Psalms, it is often referring to God and His timing, with regard to our enemies and adversities. Perhaps the classic example is from Habakkuk 1:2 - How long, O LORD, will I call for help, And You will not hear? 

We know, don’t we, that God is never in a hurry, and, He is never late. Think about that for a moment. Never in a hurry. Never late. He is not like us. Much of our upset is over our conflict with the clock, and our lack of success in getting it to speed up or slow down, since we find it almost impossible to match its pace.

Israel’s slavery in Egypt lasted 430 years - exactly the right time to accomplish God’s purposes, and yet it lasted generations. Israel’s wandering in the wilderness lasted 40 years, and Israel’s captivity in Babylon lasted 70 years. How long, O Lord? And yet it fit God’s timing, even if it did not fit the people’s prayers. After Malachi, there were 400 silent years before the birth of the Messiah in Bethlehem - “In the fullness of time” says Galatians 4:4 - at just the right time, though to God’s people, it seemed as though they had been forgotten and their prayer unanswered.

We need to remember that we live in a so-called “instant” age, whether it applies to projects or problems or pudding. We want “instant” answers and results. Just Google it. Need cash? Go to the ATM, day or night. And when life isn’t instant, we are frustrated. Need to make a quick trip through town? Be prepared to stop at every stoplight, even though there are no other cars at the intersection. What a waste of precious time?

It might be easy to understand how we can think that God is slow. How long, O Lord? But, as Peter says, “The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness” (2 Pet 3:9). The Lord is not slow. He is never late, and He will not be hurried. There is a mystery to the madness, a purpose in the need for patience. He is accomplishing what we know little about, whether in our own lives, or in the lives of others. And we can trust Him.

So yes, I am preaching to myself. And yes, I am preaching to you.  As servants of God, we follow the dictates of the Master. We do not dictate to the Master the days or the years or even one’s lifetime. How long, O Lord? In His time. In His perfect time.