Working on Heaven's Clock

After this Jesus went about in Galilee. He would not go about in Judea, because the Jews were seeking to kill him. Now the Jews’ Feast of Booths was at hand. So his brothers said to him, “Leave here and go to Judea, that your disciples also may see the works you are doing. For no one works in secret if he seeks to be known openly. If you do these things, show yourself to the world.” For not even his brothers believed in him. Jesus said to them, “My time has not yet come, but your time is always here. The world cannot hate you, but it hates me because I testify about it that its works are evil. You go up to the feast. I am not going up to this feast, for my time has not yet fully come.” After saying this, he remained in Galilee (John 7:1-9).

Jesus was teaching a way of life for His disciples. He was preaching the kingdom of God and actively engaged in healing the sick and delivering the oppressed. But all that time, while a large crowd of followers continued to grow around him, his closest relatives were absent. Eventually His brothers showed up and joined the crowd of followers, but they dared not get close to Him. When they finally approached Him, it was not to learn more about Jesus, but it was to interrupt him and to draw him away from His great ministry. The wanted Jesus to reveal Himself to the crowds that would gather in Jerusalem for the Feast of Tabernacles. In His response Jesus remained consistent in His efforts to make disciples of His followers, and even of His brothers. He confronted them with the naked worldliness that consumed their hearts. He was not on the world’s timetable. He was working on heaven’s clock.

Most everyone who has ever needed a miracle knows what it’s like to wait. We pray and wait, pray and wait, and then we pray and wait some more. In the waiting we are faced with discouragement and distraction. If God hears our prayers why doesn’t he respond? Our adversary places opportunities to run away from the crisis. We are tempted to seek a worldly solution to our problem. But it is in the waiting that we learn to overcome the world and we get to know the Savior better. In the waiting we learn to discern the difference between God’s timing and the world’s timing. In the waiting we may draw nearer to Christ, discover His deeper purpose, and mature from Christ follower into Christ’s disciple.

Waiting on the Lord tests our submission to Him as our ultimate authority. Waiting is not necessarily resignation from all activity. Waiting is often submission to God's better plan. Waiting on God means that all of our life is brought under God's sovereignty and direction. There is plenty of witness in the scriptures that taking matters into our own hands never ends well. Consider Abraham and Sarah with Ishmael and Saul's disobedience when he assumed the role of a priest. The Holy Spirit inspired the prophet Isaiah to warn Israel against looking to Egypt for help… “’Ah, stubborn children,’ declares the LORD, ‘who carry out a plan, but not mine, and who make an alliance, but not of my Spirit, that they may add sin to sin; who set out to go down to Egypt, without asking for my direction, to take refuge in the protection of Pharaoh and to seek shelter in the shadow of Egypt!  Therefore shall the protection of Pharaoh turn to your shame, and the shelter in the shadow of Egypt to your humiliation’” (Isaiah 30:1-3). The Teacher exhorts us to follow the Lord’s timing and plan with an illustration delivered through the same prophet about walking in the light of our own fire… “Behold, all you who kindle a fire, who equip yourselves with burning torches! Walk by the light of your fire, and by the torches that you have kindled! This you have from my hand: you shall lie down in torment” (Isaiah 50:11). The Spirit of Truth compelled David to wait for the Lord to fulfill His promise to remove Saul and make him king of Israel. The same Spirit inspired David to encourage us to follow his example… “Wait for the LORD and keep his way, and he will exalt you to inherit the land” (Psalm 37:34). The Holy Spirit promises to help us when we choose to wait for the Lord’s best… “For through the Spirit, by faith, we ourselves eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness” (Galatians 5:5). Finally, Jesus instructed His disciples to wait for the power of the Holy Spirit before beginning the work of fulfilling the great commission… “And behold, I am sending the promise of my Father upon you. But stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high” (Luke 24:49).

As we grow up into Christ we learn to wait for the Lord’s best as in every circumstance we are…

Working on Heaven’s Clock.