Thursday, May 8, 2014
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I think there's like this five-year-old kid that comes out in everybody when they get to Disney World. I'm going to have to confess that the little boy inside of me is still alive and well when I'm there, even though it's been awhile since I've been there. I mean, we did enjoy the times when our family visited the Magic Kingdom together some years ago. We've got the memories, we've got the photos. And, you know, now the next generation is taking their family!
Now, it's good to get to places like that early. I mean, all the attractions are great, but you've got to wait for them, even though you probably don't want to spend your time just standing in long lines most of the time. One of the most exciting rides we used to take in the Magic Kingdom was called Space Mountain. It still is. It was one of our favorite things to do. But there was this warning you had to read before you took the ride. Something like this, "If you have a heart condition, bad back, ingrown toenail, or whatever, don't get on this ride."
If you do decide to take the ride, it's a wild ride through this outer space environment, in total darkness. So, you look at the line, and you see it's one of the longest lines in the park. You go, "How long is this wait?" They say, "About an hour." No! Are we going to wait an hour? We did, and we even went back other times. It was great! It was worth it! There were a lot of teenagers in that line, and you know they're not normally known for really being patient. It's true of all of us. You've got to wait for the best that they have.
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Waiting For the Best."
Our word for today from the Word of God comes from the Old Testament prophet Habakkuk. There are only a few chapters, but there's a lot in it. You should look it up if you're not familiar with it. He told God's children back in that day that he was actually struggling with God's calling. He wanted justice. He's going, "God, why don't you stop the sin in our nation? How come it's taking so long?" And God says, "I'm going to answer your prayer in My time." Then the dreaded word in chapter 2, verse 3, "For the revelation awaits an appointed time." There's that word! It's a 'wait' word.
Habakkuk learns a beautiful lesson, because He says near the end of the book in chapter 3, verse 16, "I will wait patiently for the day of calamity to come on the nation invading us. Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will rejoice in God my Savior."
Habakkuk has learned a solid gold lesson about following the Lord. Doing God's best is a lot like riding the best ride at a place like Disney World. You have to wait to get the best. The Bible is full of instances where people couldn't wait for God's answer. Like Abraham. He goes with Hagar, his wife's handmaid. He cannot wait for the promised son to come through him and Sarah, and he causes a horrible situation. Ishmael comes along, and today the descendants of Isaac, who would later come as the son of Abraham and Sarah, and Ishmael the descendant of Abraham and Hagar, still today are fighting it out in the Middle East because Abraham couldn't wait.
Moses tried to deliver the Jews by killing an Egyptian. He had the right idea, "My people should go free." God agreed, but not that way. He had to wander in the wilderness for forty years because he acted too soon. He acted his way... tried it his way. Created a forty year mess. See, God's best always comes after a wait. Look, a baby takes nine months.
Suppose you need an answer, but you can't wait for it. How different the result could be if you could get an instant answer. Wait! You don't want a premature answer. You want God's full term. Maybe you're tired of waiting, but God's answer is worth the wait; it's the best. You may have spent a whole life waiting for a love you couldn't lose and a peace that will sustain you in every storm, and the assurance that when you die you will be in heaven.
Today God is coming your way with the offer of Jesus, His Son, who died to make all that happen. Who walked out of His grace to prove that He can. Maybe you've never had a day when you made Him your Savior. Maybe you've never opened your heart, your life, to Him. If you want to and you need to know how, would you visit with me at our website ANewStory.com. A lifetime of waiting for the love that could begin today.