Recently in our ministry, we have seen some plans get delayed. What we expected to occur at a certain time regarding financing and construction has been delayed. This delay has challenged me as a leader and our church as a family to ponder why God has allowed this and to confront it with wisdom and patience.
Exodus 32:1 says, And when the people saw that Moses delayed to come down out of the mount, the people gathered themselves together unto Aaron, and said unto him, Up, make us gods, which shall go before us; for as for this Moses, the man that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we wot not what is become of him.
Moses had gone into the mount to meet with God and to receive the Law. The Bible says the people saw that Moses delayed in returning to them, and that was when the trouble started. It was their impatience that led them to call on Aaron to build them a golden calf in the manner of the Egyptian gods.
Delays often come into our lives, and there are dangers we face during delays unless we are prepared. Preparation begins by understanding why God allows delays to happen in our lives and the potential dangers that can occur during those delays.
- Delay often has a divine purpose. Psalm 37:7 says, Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for him: fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass. Moses was not wasting time or He was with God getting instructions for the people. God often allows delays so that He can better prepare us for His plan. During delays, we need to be in God’s Word so that He can teach us what He wants us to know. God’s delays always have a purpose.
- Delay is a time in which we must stay our minds on Psalm 37:7 says, Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for him: fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass. Delay is the Devil’s workshop. If he can get our minds off the Lord, he will wreak havoc in times of delay. If our minds stay on the Lord, we will have great peace during these times of delay. If we think about the delays, we will lose hope. If we are focused on the Lord, the delays will strengthen our faith.
- Delay often leads us to take over when we think God has Habakkuk 2:3 says, For the vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the end it shall speak, and not lie: though it tarry, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry. The people knew where Moses was, yet they decided to take matters into their own hands because of the delay. We must never assume that God has stopped working during these times lest we try to play God. We must be willing to wait patiently on the Lord.
- Delay can seem like wasted time. Psalm 39:7 says, And now, Lord, what wait I for? my hope is in As humans, we hate to waste time when we are ready to move forward. We cannot allow ourselves to get impatient. Many times, we end up wasting more time when we get ahead of God due to our impatience.
- Delay is a wonderful time for us to prepare for the work God is about to Lamentations 3:25 says, The LORD is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him. It is when God delays that we can spend more time seeking His face and growing in our walk with Him. Psalm 27:14 says, Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD. It is often during delays that we gain the strength we need for that which God is going to do.
- Delay is a time to show that we trust the Lord. Psalm 62:5 says, My soul, wait thou only upon God; for my expectation is from Psalm 130:5 says, I wait for the LORD, my soul doth wait, and in his word do I hope. When delays come, we must not lean on our own understanding but wait by faith for God to continue the work He has started in us.
Isaiah 30:18 says, And therefore will the LORD wait, that he may be gracious unto you, and therefore will he be exalted, that he may have mercy upon you: for the LORD is a God of judgment: blessed are all they that wait for him.
Are you in the midst of a delay on the runway of life? Take heed to the dangers that face you and allow this delay to be used for His intended purpose.
Pastor Neal, through his preaching and his counseling, displays the compassionate heart of a pastor, follows the true leading of the Holy Spirit, and expresses a fervent desire to see lost souls come to know Christ. It is his ultimate desire to see the greater Jacksonville area reached for the cause of Christ and for revival to come to Northeast Florida.
