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Scripture for the day: Isaiah 35:7; 2 Peter 3:9 The parched ground shall become a pool, and the thirsty land springs of water ... The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some account slackness, but is patient toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.
Thought for the day: Think of the speed at which our world is moving; our ancestors could not have conceived of the speeds at which things are done today. I remember talking to an elderly lady a number of years ago. She told me of growing up on her father's farm in rural Maine and her memories of what her life was like. She got up early to do chores before saddling her horse to ride about 5 miles to the nearest town. Once there she tethered the horse and took the trolley to Augusta to attend high school. She told me how her parents would hitch the horse to an old buggy, which she still had in the barn, and go to Portland to visit their in-laws twice a year. Operating on one horsepower, it took three days to get there!
Life was at a pace then that we can't even imagine today. And that same quickening pace has infected every area of our lives. I can't believe it takes over seven minutes in a microwave oven to cook a frozen meal! When my computer takes more than 15 seconds to ready itself for use after I push the on switch, I begin to wonder if it might be time to upgrade. And can you imagine life without e-mail, cell phones, instant oatmeal and all the rest? Let's face it; everything in life should be able to be completed in the span of a single half-hour sitcom, or a two-hour made-for-TV movie at worst.
Now consider the promises of God. Here in Isaiah the promise of God is that He will rescue His people, restore them to the place they need to be and bless them. He doesn't say when this will happen, or how, He simply gives the promise. The vision of peace and security for those who follow Him is available. The vision of where He wants to take us is always before us; almost as if we're looking across a wide valley toward a high meadow on the other side.
And that valley is the valley of preparation; a valley the Lord always takes us through. It is the place where God allows us to suffer temptations and trials, each designed to conform us to the vision He's given. And we must remember that every vision will become real if we have patience. God is not in such a tremendous hurry as we are; He's willing to take whatever time is necessary, walking through each trial with us, until we take on the likeness of Christ and have become conformed to the vision He's given us.
Oswald Chambers put it this way: "The vision is what God wants you to be. Let Him put you on His wheel and whirl you as He likes, and as sure as God is God and you are you, you will turn out exactly in accordance with the vision. Don't lose heart in the process" ... and don't settle for anything less than all God has for you.
Now go take on your world. – Bill