Scripture
“When the people saw that Moses was so long in coming down from the mountain, they gathered around Aaron and said, 'Come, make us gods who will go before us. As for this fellow Moses who brought us up out of Egypt, we don’t know what has happened to him.' ” (Exodus 32:1)
Observation
Waiting 9 months to lay my eyes on our first child, Sarah Anaya, was definitely a test in patience. From the moment we discovered Danice was pregnant, I was excited and ready...ready to hug her, ready to care for her every need, and ready to see how God would use her. Everything in me wanted her out immediately so we could get on with life, yet she needed time in her mother’s womb to be shaped, to develop, and to grow. My selfish timing would have harmed her, but God’s timing had her best in mind. And let’s face it, this is usually the case in many areas of life. We want things “now”, we have our own selfish plans and timing, and this timing often isn’t in alignment with God’s. So how should we respond when God’s timing isn’t what we want it to be? Exodus 32 teaches us some good lessons on what not to do.
Moses journeyed up a mountain to meet with God and receive guidance for His people. When hours turned to days and days turned to weeks the people began to get restless, and ultimately their impatience would result in them fashioning idols to worship and abandoning both God’s and Moses’ leadership. When their timing didn’t align with God’s they took matters into their own hands, they became their own authority, and they sinned by finding their own solution and creating their own gods.
Application
Divine delays are often a good litmus test for our maturity and faith. Do these delays push us to further depend and trust in God, or do they push us to abandon that dependence and trust and take matters into our own hands. God’s delays are always part of His perfect plan. I don’t even want to think about what could have happened to Anaya if I didn’t trust God’s perfect timing in her mother’s womb, and that’s just a glimpse of how important it is to trust.
Are you in a Divine Delay? Have you been praying and waiting for an answer? Persevere because He is moving in this Divine delay. Have your patience and trust been waning and has your doubt been rising...take heart in this Divine delay. Don’t allow your impatience to push you to sin or self reliance. Don’t allow your selfishness to tempt you into sinful actions. Remain patient and remember that this Divine Delay is for your good.
Prayer
Jesus, when we’re in a Divine Delay please help us to have Your perspective, to trust Your timing, and to know that You are present and moving. Help us to remain steadfast when our flesh, and those around us, are pressuring us to take matters into our own hands. May our Divine Delays cause us to grow in our faith, in our strength, and in our perseverance that we might see the fullness of Your plans. In Your name, Amen!
