Remembering God's Very Different Timing

Scripture: Now the people began complaining openly before the Lord about hardship. When the Lord heard, His anger burned, and fire from the Lord blazed among them and consumed the outskirts of the camp. Then the people cried out to Moses, and he prayed to the Lord, and the fire died down. Number 11:1-2

Observation: Israel spent one year learning about God's laws and practices, celebrated their first true Passover, then set out following the Lord ... and within one more month begin complaining. In response, God takes direct action but only in a threatening manner - he sets a fire around the camp as a warning.

This will of course be a trend. Israel will be taught how to obey and follow the Lord, they will comply with a ceremony, and then they will complain, resist, and rebel. God will correct them, they will seek forgiveness, and peace will return ... for another short time only.

Application: I was thinking about being patient in the Lord the other day, and realized that my perspective of patience probably is not the same as God's. In fact, it is probably off by a LOT. I likely think in terms of days or months about waiting for things that God may take years or decades to deliver. I have been patient about some of those things, and frustrated and impatient about others.

Israel was impatient. They want a formula that said something like, "we do a ceremony, we pack of the camp, and receive the promised land ... seems like one week, max." God was thinking more like, "you learn the ceremonial practices as a way of creating fellowship with me, we get to commune for a while, and the promised land ain't going anywhere so we'll get there some day ... let's take a couple years."

I have prayed for things and expected them to happen in a day or a week, max. I have then seem them occur a couple years later. And I was frustrated and confused in between. Not that I think God will threaten me with fire (though he could), but I know I need to understand patience. I can pray, and then patiently wait. During that waiting, I can trust that God is working out the end result in his timing, in a perfect manner.

Prayer: Lord, I do pray for the lost and hurting. I see them at Alpha, and I see them much further away from you at work. I am not sure what your timing will be for them, but I know you love them and strive to reach them in your perfect time and place in their lives. I will continue to pray, and continue to go into the harvest field as you lead me. Amen.