The Blessing of Delay

I have some pretty bad days. On the low days I often feel beaten down by the troubles of my life and the anxieties of my mind. There are many days that the victory is simply persevering; pushing through to another day. There are times when my own striving against sin seems to become a war of attrition, or worse --- a quagmire. There are nights I close my eyes pleading for the Lord’s power to get through another day.

In addition to the trials and temptations, I am particularly affected by the pains of the world and of those around me. I’ve always been this way, even before I came to know Christ I can remember attending a party where the guests were engaged in all sorts of licentiousness and promiscuity. Even in my pre-regenerate state I was overcome by the sin and evil present there. I knelt on the ground in pain for my friends. In fact it was this very sense of innate sinfulness of the world that led me later to seek Christ.

Similarly, I am affected by the pain and ungodliness of the world. Many days after hearing of war and famine; of precious men and women pursuing ungodly paths, I am stricken and tempted to despair. When the righteous are persecuted, oppressed, and ridiculed I ask: “How long Lord must we endure?” This is the thought I often return to:  a yearning for the day of reconciliation when we will see our Lord Jesus face to face; when all pain will be wiped away.

Perhaps, however, I am approaching this world all wrong. In 2 Peter we read: “The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance” and later “count the patience of our Lord as salvation.” Could it be that in my weariness and dissatisfaction I am mistaking unhappiness for blessing? Perhaps in the fishbowl world of my own self-absorption I am missing the patience of God in light of my own trivial, temporary discomforts? In truth the fact that we are still in this world (and thus experiencing the pains that come with that) is evidence not of the Lord’s absence or forgetfulness but rather a testament to his patience and desire to see men and women saved. When I realize this, I am made aware of my own narrow selfishness and challenged to praise the Lord for his reticence rather than condemn Him for His perceived inaction. What would He be able to do through me if my eyes were open to my role in bringing about God’s purposes instead of clouded by my own pride?

Lenses

Lenses are really big right now. I tend to be a photographic purist who tries to capture the essence of the true object in the photo. Filters and lenses use mechanical or technological means to alter the image. What you see with your eyes is not what appears on film or screen. With the advent of Instagram and other social media sites that streamline the photographic process. Simple filter apps allow the user to alter any (and seemingly every) image until it resembles their artistic vision. These filters and lenses change the way we view the artwork; they change the way we perceive reality.

We, too, have lenses through which we view the world. These are our worldviews and philosophies. Sometimes we can identify and expound upon them. Often though, the roots of our worldviews are deeper and less accessible. They shape how we live on a very practical level. Our habits and behaviors are shaped not by our intellectual assents but by the lens through which we view the world. Very often, though our words may speak of truth, our thoughts and actions remain firmly rooted in faulty lenses; faulty perspectives. We may protest by creedal assent but our behaviors speak something closer to truth.

For the follower of Christ, we claim our identity in Jesus. We speak the creeds. We teach truth. Yet so often our own habits and sins betray our words. Too often we operate through a lens which is not compatible with the gospel. We live lives in private that are defined by doubt, sin, feelings of helplessness and insecurity. Though we would firmly rebuke such attitudes if confronted in the pulpit, we live lives of spiritual poverty. Peter wrote that “His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness.” We go throughout our lives under faulty pretenses. For the Christian, our identity HAS been changed, past tense. We HAVE (past tense, again) been given power to live godly lives. We must endeavor with all our being to rebuke the false lenses that cause us innumerable pains and powerlessness. Peter goes on to write that: “He who lacks these qualities [the power pertaining to life and godliness] is blind or short-sighted, having forgotten his purification from his former sins.” Ouch. Peter’s words wound us because they illuminate the depth of the deception in which we so often live; the lies we so often believe. Let us live, with enduring focus on diffusing the false heart-beliefs that shape our experience and deprive us of the power to live joyfully as Christ’s ambassadors