Nougat 9

Greetings dear siblings

While working through the reflections on idolatry, I got to thinking that this is a real challenge for some of us. Today’s Holy Nougat lays the foundation for us.

“When the people saw how long it was taking Moses to come back down the mountain, they gathered around Aaron. “Come on,” they said, “make us some gods who can lead us. We don’t know what happened to this fellow Moses, who brought us here from the land of Egypt.” Then Aaron took the gold, melted it down, and molded it into the shape of a calf. When the people saw it, they exclaimed, “O Israel, these are the gods who brought you out of the land of Egypt!”” ‭‭Exodus‬ ‭32‬:‭1‬, ‭4‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Waiting (Im)patiently on the Lord

How many of us make requests of the Lord with a basic timeline for the response in mind? I believe that to some degree we all do. That’s partly what allows us to determine whether we got a ‘yes’, ‘no’, ‘not yet’ or ‘persevere in prayer’ from God. It may not be a direct or fixed date, but we do have some expectation based on the nature of our request and past experience. But what do we do when God’s response is not forthcoming?

Is our response sadness, where we are in constant anguish about God’s silence?

Do we seek others to agree with us as we pray anew?

Are we anxious about it, getting more worried

Do we begin to lose hope, and by extension, our faith in God’s avail/ability?

Let’s remember that none of the responses are new to God. With shifts in technology, the ways we respond might be slightly different over time, but it’s nothing new under the Son.

There’s not much to be gained by sadness, unless we’re lamenting to God like the psalmist did. In most psalms of lament, the one crying out to God finishes with encouragement to themselves and their people to hope in God. It may help us in our wait for revisit Psalm 13 in our sadness. Or, like David fast until God’s answer is clear.

Nothing is wrong with the prayer of agreement, provided we remember that it is God Who answers and denies. Two are better than one, and a cord of three strings (God, us and our prayer partner) is not easily broken (see Ecclesiastes 4:12). Inviting another encourages us and keeps us accountable. It also keeps God central.

Paul reminds us in Philippians to ‘be anxious about nothing; but remain in prayerful praise and intercession until God’s Perfect Peace keeps us assured and fixed on God (see Philippians 4:4-7). Anxiety will come at times, but we can overcome before succumbing to it, as hopelessness might set in.

The most deadly response is feeling hopeless. For that is a very direct attack from the enemy of our souls. Hopelessness encourages desperation, loss of Good Judgement, attempt to problem-solve on our own, or even lose faith in God. That’s what happened to Abram, to King Saul, to several other kings, and to the Children of Israel. It doesn’t have to happen to us anymore.

Let’s resolve in our spirits today that no matter what, we’ll wait on God’s peace and God’s timing, despite feeling impatient at the pace of God’s response.

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May all we seek be found in Christ