Nougat 21

Please receive today’s Holy Nougat

“The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.” ‭‭2 Peter‬ ‭3‬:‭9‬ ‭KJV‬‬

“The Lord isn’t really being slow about his promise, as some people think. No, he is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent.” ‭‭2 Peter‬ ‭3‬:‭9‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Why wait?

One of the hardest tests of my faith occurs when I have to wait on God’s timing. For while the ASK Principle has loads of merit (Ask, Seek, Knock), I am sometimes lulled in a microwave mentality that says when I Ask, it is immediately delivered to me; when I Seek, it will drop in my lap; and when I Knock, the door slides open. But that’s a particular way of reading Matthew 7:7, which isn’t always the case. And I know Isaiah 65:24 assures us that God’s answer precedes our Ask; but Daniel 10:13 and Psalm 27:13-14 both suggest that sometimes the answer is ‘Yes, but’. And those underscore our nougat for today.

When last have you experienced God’s ‘Yes, but’? Think about the entire situation in as much detail as possible. Why was the request made, what kind of request did you make, was the request followed by thanksgiving?

The Why relates to our motives – we sometimes have the right request, but the wrong motives. And when we ask amiss (see James 4:3), we might not get what we asked for. It’s important that we ask for the right reasons, or we might find ourselves out of spiritual alignment with God. Not Good!

Also, the timing may be off; we may need to wait for a season like Martha and Mary after Lazarus’ death (see John11).

The What relates to our actual request. I might ask God for money and that’s a good and reasonable request. Money clears bills, including rent, clothing, food, Uber/bus service, and utilities. But money might not be what we need. I might need a house, clothes, food, and electricity etc. Saying I need food (and being specific about the type), then asking for food or funds is different from asking for funds, as something pressing might turn up and the money gets rerouted. Let’s be clear like Mary at the wedding in John 2.

There’s a Jamaican saying, ’Manners carry monkey through the world’. It invites us to a space of gratitude. Philippians 4:6 adjures us, ‘In EVERYTHING, by prayer and supplication WITH thanksgiving, we make our requests to God. Thanksgiving ought to frame our prayer requests, whether for self or others. And until the prayer is answered in the affirmative, we continue to give thanks in advance.

Of course, these are not the only reasons behind God’s ‘Yes, but’!, but we pause to invite God to deepen the course of our requests so that we are aligned to God’s will for us in Christ Jesus. So we wait, in anticipation, asking God to temper our impatience in the process.

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May all we seek be found in Christ