Can you believe the nerve of some people? A complete and total stranger entered my house recently, saw something he liked, and picked it up without asking. When it was time for him to leave, he didn't want to give it back to me. He tried to steal it!
When I asked him if I could please have it back, he pulled it away from me and gave me a look that could kill. I wrestled it from his fingers and he screamed like....a baby.
Okay, so he was only eighteen months old, but still. That was MY Mr. Potato Head! How dare he think he could enter my house and walk out with my stuff as if it belonged to him! As if he was entitled to anything within his grubby little grasp!
Unauthorized entitlement seems to be a cultural trend in America these days. Parents teach entitlement to their children at a young age. Rambo moms and dads will endure any torture to make sure their precious angel has the newest, the brightest, the prettiest, the most, and the best.
Those babies who wear designer diapers grow up to be teenagers who feel entitled to designer cars and adults who feel entitled to...EVERYTHING.
Newlyweds run out and purchase all the necessities on credit: the satellite dish with 500 channels, the plasma HD-TV that's bigger than their refrigerator, two of the latest cell phones with all the bells and whistles, two new cars, new furniture, and a monthly mortgage that takes two month's salary to pay.
Unearned, unauthorized entitlement is everywhere. This disease has now spread to corporate America. Banks have forgotten how to balance their books. Auto makers can't steer their way onto the highway of fiscal responsibility. So who comes to the rescue?
Not Superman. Not Batman. Not even Mr. Potato Head. This Rescuer is wearing tights the size of a circus tent and has a great big G on his chubby chest ---- the Government! If it weren't so serious, we should all be doubled over in laughter. Government to the rescue?
Yeah, right. The same people who epitomize irresponsibility and waste. That's like asking Atilla the Hun to teach anger management. And we fall for it. Why? Because it's better than US having to assume responsibility for ourselves.
We want someone else to assume responsibility for us. We want to take because we shouldn't have to wait.
Oh, that dirty four-letter word: WAIT. Makes you shudder, doesn't it? Wait. And yet...
...Therein lies the answer. The solution. The only plan that will work. The only hope for this country. The only hope for you.
The first place to wait is on the Lord. "My soul, wait silently for God alone, for my expectation is from Him" (Psalm 62:5, NKJV).
Wait for who? God.
And who else? God alone.
"He only is my rock and my salvation; He is my defense; I shall not be moved" (v. 6). This country was built on a solid foundation. Every corner of it was anchored in an absolute faith in God alone. Yet we've allowed others to put wheels under it and move it to the beach. The tide has rolled in. The sand beneath is shifting. Our foundation is no longer solid. We are being moved.
"In God is my salvation and my glory; the rock of my strength, and my refuge, is in God" (v. 7). There is a rescuer worth waiting for who has a big G on His chest. He is God, not government.
"Trust in Him at all times, you people; pour out your heart before Him; God is a refuge for us" (v. 8). Trusting in God requires waiting upon God.
If we could all learn the value of waiting, we would learn to appreciate what we have and truly enjoy what we eventually acquire. It is in the moments of waiting that we grow. It is then that we learn to value what would otherwise be a blur in the high octane race to the next Mr. Potato Head.
I'm not waiting for the government to bail me out. I know many will. That's their choice. "Some trust in chariots, and some in horses; but we will remember the name of the Lord our God. They have bowed down and fallen; but we have risen and stand upright" (Psalm 20:7-8).
While waiting on God, I noticed a trailor hitch and a chain on the bumper of America. Several God-followers are pulling on that chain, trying to get us off the beach and back onto a solid foundation. It seems like we're stuck pretty bad. But I think I'll join them. Won't you?
It's stuck pretty deep. So we may all need to get on our knees...
Perry Crisp
Showing posts with label waiting on God. Show all posts
Showing posts with label waiting on God. Show all posts
Monday, March 9, 2009
Monday, August 11, 2008
Wait Right Here!
"Wait for the Lord; Be strong, and let your heart take courage; Yes, wait for the Lord!" (Psalm 27:14, NASB).
I was ADD before those initials were invented. The reason they call it ADD is because none of us who have it can focus long enough to hear, "Attention Deficit Disorder." Just hurry up and give me the initials!
"Wait" is a dirty, four-letter word to someone with ADD. The sound of that word makes us wrinkle our nose, fidget, groan, moan, roll our eyes, and huff.
It's almost as if the Psalmist was writing specifically to people like me. He not only says, "Wait!" He then follows it up with a parental tone that says, "YES, wait!" How did he know I was saying, "Noooooooooo" to the first "wait"?
The New King James Version is definitely parental: "Wait, I say, on the Lord!" That redounds with echoes of my mom saying, "Perry Wallace Crisp -- I said, 'WAIT'!" Why do they encumber us with such embarrassing middle names?
That memory just made me slouch, sigh, and slump. I think you get the point. I do not enjoy waiting. I don't know that anyone does. But some are better at it than others.
The good thing about waiting on the Lord is, it always brings good things. According to the Psalmist, waiting brings courage and strength. Our faith is rewarded with muscle every time we endure another season of waiting.
The word, "wait" in this passage is translated "trust" in other translations. To wait on the Lord is to trust Him. It is to believe that God is at work while we wait.
God always has a reason for telling us to wait. When I waited in the Sarajevo International Airport waiting to return home, I heard an announcement over the intercom in the Bosanski, German, French, and Korean languages. None of those are in my repertoire (okay, so I know ONE French word).
Passengers started shuffling toward the gate. I followed. The security guard/airline employee looked at my passport and ticket, pointed to a wall, and said something in a foreign tongue.
This was Bosnia. The smoke from their war was still rising from the ruins of their buildings. I didn't argue. I went and stood by the wall afraid that I was about to miss my flight and face a possible firing squad.
Ten minutes later, a fellow Bosnian guard/airline employee came to me and explained in English that I was about to board a flight to Korea. My flight would be called next. We may not always understand why we have to wait. But the guarantee of Scripture is that waiting on the Lord will always bring good things.
What are you waiting for?
Perry Crisp
I was ADD before those initials were invented. The reason they call it ADD is because none of us who have it can focus long enough to hear, "Attention Deficit Disorder." Just hurry up and give me the initials!
"Wait" is a dirty, four-letter word to someone with ADD. The sound of that word makes us wrinkle our nose, fidget, groan, moan, roll our eyes, and huff.
It's almost as if the Psalmist was writing specifically to people like me. He not only says, "Wait!" He then follows it up with a parental tone that says, "YES, wait!" How did he know I was saying, "Noooooooooo" to the first "wait"?
The New King James Version is definitely parental: "Wait, I say, on the Lord!" That redounds with echoes of my mom saying, "Perry Wallace Crisp -- I said, 'WAIT'!" Why do they encumber us with such embarrassing middle names?
That memory just made me slouch, sigh, and slump. I think you get the point. I do not enjoy waiting. I don't know that anyone does. But some are better at it than others.
The good thing about waiting on the Lord is, it always brings good things. According to the Psalmist, waiting brings courage and strength. Our faith is rewarded with muscle every time we endure another season of waiting.
The word, "wait" in this passage is translated "trust" in other translations. To wait on the Lord is to trust Him. It is to believe that God is at work while we wait.
God always has a reason for telling us to wait. When I waited in the Sarajevo International Airport waiting to return home, I heard an announcement over the intercom in the Bosanski, German, French, and Korean languages. None of those are in my repertoire (okay, so I know ONE French word).
Passengers started shuffling toward the gate. I followed. The security guard/airline employee looked at my passport and ticket, pointed to a wall, and said something in a foreign tongue.
This was Bosnia. The smoke from their war was still rising from the ruins of their buildings. I didn't argue. I went and stood by the wall afraid that I was about to miss my flight and face a possible firing squad.
Ten minutes later, a fellow Bosnian guard/airline employee came to me and explained in English that I was about to board a flight to Korea. My flight would be called next. We may not always understand why we have to wait. But the guarantee of Scripture is that waiting on the Lord will always bring good things.
What are you waiting for?
Perry Crisp
Thursday, March 13, 2008
A Wait-y Faith
The struggle between stepping out in faith and waiting on God is one of the most perplexing tensions of the believer's life.
Mordecai revealed this struggle in his message to Esther, "If you remain completely silent at this time, relief and deliverance will arise for the Jews from another place" (Esther 4:14).
In other words, "Don't do anything hastily, Esther. Wait and give God a chance to work through someone else in some other way." Sometimes I wonder if this is the unspoken motto of most believers and churches.
Within the same breath, Mordecai switched to the need all believers have to be ready to be used of God regardless of the cost: "Yet who knows whether you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this?"
Sure, if we give it enough time, God will work through someone else in some other way to accomplish His purpose...or will He? What if we are His primary plan? What if all things were directed by Him to have us in this exact position at this crucial point in time? What if our hesitancy opens the door for Satan to deceive the very person God wanted us to engage?
Risk is inherent in faith. But is it any less inherent in remaining "completely silent" -- in doing nothing? No. The risk of faith is a personal risk. You may take a step of faith and fall flat on your face. The risk of doing nothing is not personal...it's kingdom-al. It is a risk that involves kingdom implications and may even impede the growth of the kingdom.
God is a big enough God that He can work around us in those instances. Obviously, if He can work THROUGH us, and IN SPITE OF us, He can work AROUND us and WITHOUT us. But oh, what we lose when we miss being involved in His work!
While that may be less embarrassing than a slippery step of faith, it is still a loss to us. So, what's the answer? Three things: prayer, confirmation, and peace.
When you don't know whether to act or wait, do both in prayer. Get active in praying over the matter and wait for God to answer. Then look for God's answer in confirmation and peace.
Confirmation often comes through other believers who agree with you about the situation. But confirmation comes in many ways, so keep your eyes, ears, and heart open.
The ultimate clue is peace. Peace is not the absence of apprehension. If we never did anything that involved a little apprehension, we would never do anything. Peace is that assurance of the soul that covers you like a liquid blanket of warmth.
Esther risked her life and the life of her family in a bold act of faith. God used her act of faith to save a nation. God may want to use your faith to save a Nathan or a Natalie. You may be exactly where you are "for such a time as this."
Linger Not Too Long...
Perry Crisp
Mordecai revealed this struggle in his message to Esther, "If you remain completely silent at this time, relief and deliverance will arise for the Jews from another place" (Esther 4:14).
In other words, "Don't do anything hastily, Esther. Wait and give God a chance to work through someone else in some other way." Sometimes I wonder if this is the unspoken motto of most believers and churches.
Within the same breath, Mordecai switched to the need all believers have to be ready to be used of God regardless of the cost: "Yet who knows whether you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this?"
Sure, if we give it enough time, God will work through someone else in some other way to accomplish His purpose...or will He? What if we are His primary plan? What if all things were directed by Him to have us in this exact position at this crucial point in time? What if our hesitancy opens the door for Satan to deceive the very person God wanted us to engage?
Risk is inherent in faith. But is it any less inherent in remaining "completely silent" -- in doing nothing? No. The risk of faith is a personal risk. You may take a step of faith and fall flat on your face. The risk of doing nothing is not personal...it's kingdom-al. It is a risk that involves kingdom implications and may even impede the growth of the kingdom.
God is a big enough God that He can work around us in those instances. Obviously, if He can work THROUGH us, and IN SPITE OF us, He can work AROUND us and WITHOUT us. But oh, what we lose when we miss being involved in His work!
While that may be less embarrassing than a slippery step of faith, it is still a loss to us. So, what's the answer? Three things: prayer, confirmation, and peace.
When you don't know whether to act or wait, do both in prayer. Get active in praying over the matter and wait for God to answer. Then look for God's answer in confirmation and peace.
Confirmation often comes through other believers who agree with you about the situation. But confirmation comes in many ways, so keep your eyes, ears, and heart open.
The ultimate clue is peace. Peace is not the absence of apprehension. If we never did anything that involved a little apprehension, we would never do anything. Peace is that assurance of the soul that covers you like a liquid blanket of warmth.
Esther risked her life and the life of her family in a bold act of faith. God used her act of faith to save a nation. God may want to use your faith to save a Nathan or a Natalie. You may be exactly where you are "for such a time as this."
Linger Not Too Long...
Perry Crisp
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