I hate waiting.
Yes, yes, I know how that I’m to wait on the Lord to gain new strength (Isaiah 40:31) and that I’m commanded to rest and wait patiently for Him (Psalm 37:7). I know that patience is a fruit of the Spirit. I know all that stuff.
But that’s not what I’m talking about. I’m saying that within me, (“that is, my flesh”) there is not a scrap of patience to be found (Romans 7:18). Left to my own devices, I always default to wanting things done now.
Knowing my own natural tendency toward this impatience and also knowing God’s own Spiritual tendency toward the opposite, I was a little shocked this week to find so many “now” promises within His Word. There is actually a side of God that doesn’t wait and doesn’t expect us to do so either. What amazing news for the impatient!
Let’s go discover a few of those together, shall we?
“Now you are the people of God…now you have received mercy (1 Peter 2:10).
There is no waiting around to get into the family — no hoping that one day we will finally earn enough Brownie points for God to like us. Nope, we’re in. Our hope is forever settled. It was taken care of when we faithed Him the first time and our repentance forever took away our sins — past, present, and future (Romans 4:5; Hebrews 10:14).
Right now, at this very moment, we are a part of the “people of God”. Whether we feel like it today or not. Whether we acted righteously yesterday or not (Romans 9:16). We are in. We aren’t going to lose it and we aren’t going to “get out of fellowship” with Him. He gave us the right to be His children and thus we are (John 1:12; 1 John 3:1). Right here, right now. No waiting.
“There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1).
No condemnation! Do you realize what this means? We no longer have to feel guilty.
What we did or did not do is not what made us sinners in the first place (Romans 9:11). No, just being human with a fleshly nature is what made us guilty (Romans 5:18). Being born was the problem (Romans 5:12).
But when we traded our human-ness for His God-ness, we became one of His children. When He placed the God seed within us, then from the very core of our being, we have nothing to be condemned for (1 John 3:9). Sure, the process of getting our emotions and our minds to catch up to this amazing fact takes time (Hebrews (9:14). But, believing that right now, at this very moment…believing that we are not faulted by God….well, that’s a great and purifying place to start. “Everyone who has this hope fixed on Him purifies himself, just as He is pure” (1 John 3:3).
“For Christ … now (appears) in the presence of God for us” (Hebrews 9:24).
Now, at this very moment, Jesus is standing up for us in the presence of God.
When I feel low, I have a handful of people that I want to be praying for me. I contact them, or at least think about it, because I know that they are people of prayer. They are people that seem to have a little special something when it comes to relating to God. Their prayers seem to be heard.
Yet, in this very instant, at this current second, Jesus Himself is praying for us (Romans 7:34). For you and for me. Specifically, groaningly, directly and powerfully. Yes, Jesus, the One Who is always heard because of His piety….HE is your prayer partner (Hebrews 7:25; 5:7). Now that is pretty awesome.
And so, now, because I have an unchangeable future, a guilt-free past, and a current Intercessor, I think I’ll wait on Him today. Wanna join me?
