Jesus asked a simple question of the disciples, “Why do you call Me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say?” (Luke 6:46 NIV). He was stressing that He was to be Lord (the Master of our lives) not just called Lord. He commands, we obey. He leads, we follow. He plans, we execute. It is why Paul identified us as “slaves of Christ” (see Ephesians 6:5, for example).
This reality is most challenging when the command is for us to wait on the Lord. Listen to Psalm 27:14 (ESV), “Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord!” As activists, we are geared towards action, which is not a bad thing—unless we are ignoring the command of the Lord at any given time to “Be still, and know that I am God…” (Psalm 46:10a NIV). The promises for our faithfulness in waiting are varied and glorious. Take Isaiah 40:31 (ESV), for example, “But they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint” or Lamentations 3:25 (ESV), “The Lord is good to those who wait for Him, to the soul who seeks Him.” It is good to wait on the Lord!
But life is hard. We look at overwhelming injustice around us and we want action. This is always the case when it comes to legal matters. The courts move traditionally at a very slow pace. Resolution of one case merely means the start of the long and arduous appellate process that will take us, after multiple cases on a single issue, to a resolution at the Supreme Court.
The recent speech by the President or the Department of Justice, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and other intelligence agencies’ abuses and injustices that seem to only multiply are also other examples of areas of frustration where we want action. We want reform. We want accountability in the political landscape. That is fine, as long as we keep our heavenly kingdom perspective and ultimate hope, right? We cannot let hopelessness settle within our hearts.
But, if we are truthful with ourselves, some of us frankly get tired of waiting on the Lord. We still call Him Lord, but do not trust Him.
Let us repent of this attitude for “The Lord is not slow to fulfill His promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you…” (2 Peter 3:9 ESV).
Pray: “Father, recalibrate my heart, and recenter my gaze upon You, my Lord and my only source of hope. Amen.”
