In a little while...

I awakened this morning 'round 4 to go and be with my Dad at his bedside. He said, "Sit down. Pick up my Bible and take out those folded papers." There, in 16 pages of long-hand script, was a sermon he had written in March, 1992 titled- "God's Little Whiles." In an amazing 'coincidence' God used a 16 year old sermon to comfort my Dad in the middle of the night. He doesn't know how those papers came to be in that Bible, nor how that particular old Bible ended up by his bed. But, in His sovereignty, God brought an old sermon to Dad's attention, allowing him to preach a word of encouragement to himself during this of dealing with confinement and cancer!

Dad had written about the disciples whom Jesus told to wait through the dark time surrounding His death, a time when God was accomplishing the great work of atonement, through terrible suffering at the Cross. It was a message built around a text from John 16:16 (KJV) words spoken on the night of the Last Supper. "A little while, and ye shall not see me: and again, a little while, and ye shall see me, because I go to the Father." Those men were about to enter into a 'little while' when they would find God's plan incomprehensible. Dad's points in that sermon were -

A. Listen to what God says.
B. Trust His Word. And,
C. Exercise persistence as you cling to His Word.

Every parent says to their children, at one time or another, "We will get to do that in a little while. Other things have to be accomplished first, then we can do what you desire." Then, that parent gets busy or they forget and that 'little while' stretches into an hour, or a day, and the child wonders about the probability of the promise. I've been on both sides of that deal! I remember waiting for little whiles that seemed to never end, and I remember my own children saying, "Dad, is it time yet? Are you ready to do what you said you would do?"

Disciple, as you anticipate the challenges of this new week, there are likely some situations where God's perfect plan is in the process of being worked out. It may be that you are wondering what God is doing, why He's taking so long, or even if He's forgotten a promise He made to you. Take a lesson from the text "A little while, and ye shall not see me: and again, a little while, and ye shall see me, because I go to the Father."

Then, wait with a listening ear, with a trusting heart, and in patient persistence of faith. God's 'little whiles' do stretch on for us, but we need to keep in mind that His clock ticks so differently from ours. He has no urgency for "one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day." (2 Peter 3:8, KJV)

_______________________

My faith looks up to Thee,
Thou Lamb of Calvary,Savior divine!
Now hear me while I pray;
Take all my guilt away.
Oh let me from this day
Be wholly Thine!

May Thy rich grace impart
Strength to my fainting heart,
My zeal inspire.
As Thou hast died for me,
Oh may my love to Thee
Pure, warm and changeless be,
A living fire.

While life's dark maze I tread,
And griefs around me spread
Be Thou my Guide.
Bid darkness turn to day;
Wipe sorrow's tears away;
Nor let me ever stray
From Thee aside!

When ends life's transient dream,
When death's cold sullen stream
Shall o'er me roll,
Blest Savior, then in love,
Fear and distrust remove.
Oh bear me safe above,
A ransomed soul.

My Faith Looks Up To Thee
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