The Fullness of Time

 

I suppose every mother can imagine the meaning of the phrase “In the fullness of time.” There is no “hurrying up” a baby’s birth. At seven months, a pregnant woman cannot say, “O.K. I’ve had it. Today’s the day I’m going to have the baby.”

Authors of scripture use that phrase from time to time. For example, note these words from Galatians 4:4:

“But when the fullness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law.”

But, you say, “I’m not pregnant, nor do I intend to be. What does this phrase have to do with me?”

I believe God waits with us for a specific time—the fullness of time, so to speak—to bring about the big events of our lives.

Like the tired pregnant woman, we often wish the trial or the long waiting period we are experiencing would end. But God, in His silence, appears to be waiting for some specific time and place and manner in which to answer our long and persistent prayers.

Scripture gives us many examples of the way He dealt with people after He put them through long periods of waiting when He could have come sooner and answered their prayers.

We see one example of this in Peter, the Disciple of Jesus. In his weakness, he disowned Jesus on the night before the crucifixion. He immediately repented and wept over his sin, but Jesus waited to set things right and commission Peter for further service.

Can you imagine how Peter must have felt when, with the other disciples, they beheld Jesus as He came to them after the resurrection in the upper room? Nothing in the text suggests that Jesus specifically addressed Peter in those visits. Did Peter wonder whether Jesus was still hurt and terribly grieved over his sin? Did he wonder whether his days of service to Christ were over, yet long for Jesus to speak his name?

We get a little more insight into Jesus’ approach to Peter when, on the seashore several days later He pulled Peter aside and asked Him the very personal questions about Peter’s commitment to Him as recorded in John 21:15-19. And not only did Jesus finally speak to Peter, He showed His love and call on Peter’s life by reinstating him and commissioning him as a leader in guiding the Early Church.

When we wait for God to come to us, we must believe He has a “fullness of time” which He has appointed. We should long to hear Him speak our name, to teach us what He wants us to have learned through the pain, and expect Him who has called us in the past to place a new assignment in our hands. What will He “birth” in us?

 

 

Provision

 

The whole tribe of Israel, approximately two million people strong, had left Egypt by the miraculous hand of God. They had seen God defeat their Egyptian captors who had pursued them to the Red Sea, where God parted the waters for the Israelites and drowned their enemies with those same waters.

If you read Exodus 15, you see there the victorious song they sang, led by Moses and Miriam. They had bright hopes and a marvelous future in the Promised Land ahead of them. Yet, in verse 22, the story changes when God shows His people that He intends to test them before giving them this promise.

They finally found water after three days of thirsty travel. But, at Marah they could not drink because of the bitterness. That which should have refreshed them, would only have poisoned them. God directed Moses to find a piece of wood he could throw into the water to make it sweet so that they could drink. He “healed” the water.

After they had taken a drink, God shared with them His intention to test them in the wilderness. He also made a pact with them that He would “heal” them of all the diseases of Egypt if they would pay attention and obey His commands. Once He promised them this, they moved on and He brought them to an oasis in Elim of rich, verdant, lavish palm trees and springs of water.

This story reminds me of friends who have lived in the wilderness far longer than they could have ever imagined. The water they have had to drink tastes bitter and putrid. This story from Exodus reminds me to pray that God would send “healing” to these bitter waters while He assigns them to dwell in Marah, so that they witness God’s sustaining presence.

Of course, while they may have imagined that Marah was God’s place of blessing for them, they haven’t even begun to imagine that He has an Elim for them down the road.

Exodus 15: 27 says:

“They camped [at Elim] there near the water.”

This was not only a place to drink, it was a place to stay for a while.

When we pray for those, even ourselves, who may be traveling in the wilderness, we need to pray that God will sustain them in Marah with His healing waters, but ultimately that He will lead them to Elim, a place of abundance of His blessing where they can at last find camping ground!

 

 

Sealed

 

	“He anointed us, set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.”
	—1 Corinthians 1:22

When I was a teenager, I received a gift of a stamping kit for use on envelopes. The kit came complete with a stick of wax and two metal sealers. For me, it served as just a fun way to complete my friendly letters. In ages past, however, seals served as authentic means of verifying documents that came from important people.

In the Old Testament, we read of the Babylonian and Persian kings sealing documents in order to declare oath written within irrevocable. Once sealed, the decree had to remain in tact. For example, King Nebuchadnezzar signed such a decree and could not reverse the decision to place Daniel in the lions’ den.

In modern times, tags are used as seals, or a cattleman may brand a cow or horse signifying his ownership. The electric meter outside your house has a seal that indicates to the electric utility that no one has tampered with that meter.

In Bible times, a servant who chose to remain with his owner after the six year limit on his servitude, would be marked by a piercing of one ear. (see Exodus 21:2-6 and Deuteronomy 15:12-18). This would guarantee him as a servant of the owner for life.

The New Testament tells us, in the Scripture passage at the beginning of this blog post, that God has put His seal of ownership on us—His guarantee that we belong to Him. This seal remains secure forever.

If we have received the gift of salvation that God has offered to us through faith, placed our trust in His Son as our Savior, and answered His call to serve Him for life, He has declared that He cannot revoke this seal on us. In fact, God has given us a deposit—the presence of His Holy Spirit within us.

To experience this branding with God’s own seal requires nothing from us but our humble gratitude. His choice of us as His very own, though too wonderful to comprehend, began before the foundation of the world and came to completion through the accomplishment of Christ’s finished work on the cross of Calvary.

We belong to Him forever. Romans 11:29 gives us this assurance:

“…for God’s gifts and his call are irrevocable.”

Imagine a beautifully sealed envelope with you inside being kept close to God’s heart until the very day that Christ opens the seal in Heaven. He wants us there in Heaven with Him, but He also wants to use us each day as a witness to this world of His glory.

We go forth each day as chosen vessels of His mercy, grace, and love. We carry the Good News of His Gospel to everyone who crosses our pathway. What joy we should feel that God has chosen us, sealed us, and desires to use us in His service.

 

 

In the Hands of the Expert Carpenter

 

	“In a large house there are articles not only of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay; some are for noble purposes and some for ignoble. If a man cleanses himself from the latter, he will be an instrument for noble purposes, made holy, useful to the Master and prepared to do any good work.”
	—2 Timothy: 2:20-21

I have several articles made of wood that were finely crafted. They are among my prized possessions because of their beauty, even though they each have a useful purpose as well.

I can imagine the carpenter beginning with a rough piece of wood in which he spied some beauty even before he started. As he sawed and chiseled, rubbed, and finished the piece, it took hours of delicate and expert work.

Imagine a fine violin, a carved piano leg, an exquisite jewelry box, and Indian canoe, each built for a “noble purpose.” But, think of what the piece of wood has been through to get to the place of beauty and purpose.

Can you see the floor under the carpenter’s bench, full of sawdust and wood shavings? The wood has gone through a complete transformation under the artistic hands of the master carpenter. He has cut out imperfections, chiseled away knots, and rubbed down and smoothed every inch to get rid of splinters. He has covered the piece with a carefully chosen finish.

We Christians resemble a piece of wood, carved and sanded by our Master. Theologians call the process I’m describing “sanctification.” God sanctifies those of us whom He has already called and justified. He has chosen us, not because of something He sees in us, but because He wants to fashion an instrument for His use out of our rough origins.

The process of sanctification, like the work of a carpenter, appears to us as torment and distress. Sometimes we think God has left more “shavings” on the floor than He has left of us to use. But He understands the process much better than we, and can see the finished product, an instrument for noble purposes—His purposes.

Trusting Him in this lifelong process of sanctification, and co-operating with His means to get us there will yield for Him the person He wants us to be. He will use us in noble and in ordinary ways to glorify Him, our Master Carpenter.

 

 

Taking Care

 

I played the French horn in college, but the price of the horn prevented me from having my own instrument. Therefore, in order to play in the orchestra and wind ensembles, I needed to use a school owned horn. So, my professor assigned me one which played well, though sported enough dents to reveal that it had been around for a few years.

At my first lesson, the professor said, “Did you know you could wash this thing in the bathtub?” He proceeded to tell me how to take it all apart and run water through it in order to get rid of the putrid smell within. So, I followed his advice, and took it back to my dorm for “a bath.”

Now, the French horn isn’t the only instrument that needs special care. I learned, as a music teacher in public schools, that oboe reeds crack, dry trumpet valves stick, mouthpieces get stuck in trombones and flute keypads fall out. All need attention from time to time.

What would happen to the music from these instruments if the player did not maintain them? The music would indeed suffer. A stuck key, or a squealing reed, would obviously influence the sound and the ability of the player to do his or her best job in producing music.

Christians tend to have the same problems as well-used musical instruments. We have a “song to sing” so to speak, and need to have our instruments in tip-top shape in order for the music to come out. When we live with our bodies tired, or malnourished, or out of shape, we cannot give to God our very best.

However, I know that our schedules often become unbalanced, because other’s expectations of us box us into a corner, or family demands make us feel obligated to sacrifice even healthy patterns of living in order to meet them. The lack of balance keeps our bodies ill-maintained and unable to do our best for Him, for our families, for our employers.

God even rested on the seventh day! He was showing us His pattern for living. You all know the third Commandment found in Exodus 34:21:

“Six days you shall labor, but on the seventh day you shall rest.”

But do you remember the rest of it?

“Even during the plowing season and harvest you must rest.”

Said another way, even when we are busiest!!

In our society, we tend either to make too much of our bodies, or too little. Balance requires us to maintain good habits for healthy bodies, but to also make time for our spiritual selves as well. That is the other side of the coin.

Where do you see yourself? Too occupied with your physical needs, or careless and dangerously forgetful of them? Take a good look, and commit yourselves to the balance required for healthy bodies that can readily serve God when He calls. Like the French Horn, learn to take proper care of yourself in order that, with your whole being, you will remain able to play beautiful music for Him.

 

 

I See You!

 

We’ve all played with a baby and asked, “Where’s Joey?” Babies love to hide behind their hands so we “can’t see them.” It seems that children enjoy hiding, even through elementary school when they say to the rest of the class while waiting for their teacher, “Let’s hide!” They all scurry under their desks or into the closet.

Truth is, even adults get into the hiding game with God. We try to forget that He sees all we do, what we say, and even knows what we think. Or, maybe we think as long as another person doesn’t see us, God will forgive us. In that case we’ve traded presumption for faith.

We call this characteristic of God, this ability He has to know all things we do, omniscience. He studies us, has known us before the foundation of the world, and no matter where we go, He can find us.

King David, the Psalmist, captured this truth best when he said in Psalm 139:3, 7-12:

“You are familiar with all my ways…Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast. If I say, ‘Surely the darkness will hide me and the light become night around me,’ even the darkness will not be dark to you;”

If you find yourself hiding from God, ask why, and then determine to go to Him and confess to Him what He already knows. Like Adam and Eve, who hid in the Garden, as recorded in Genesis 3:8, it is no use. He sees all, knows all, and will forgive all, once you come out of hiding and face Him with a repentant heart.

 

 

Interruptions

 

Maaaaaaahm!! I can hear the child yelling and tugging at her Mom as she tries to make sense of the phone call that she has just answered. It always seems that children have an urgent need just at that moment when Mom has to give her attention to something else.

I think God often feels that way too! More often than I can count, when I sit down to read my Bible or pray (intending to earnestly and fervently do so!), there come a hundred thoughts bombarding me at that moment. Some have real urgency like, “Oh! I forgot to take the garbage out and I hear the truck coming” or “Will Dad live to see another day?”

Some distractions simply have to do with tasks we have to accomplish, or fears of a dreaded medical test or surgery. My rabbit holes often come from new creative ideas I have for some project I’m doing.

Now, I do believe some of these “distracting thoughts” can actually be the Holy Spirit bringing His will to our attention, and I, for one, have had His interruptions of my reading or praying with an idea or a prayer burden that I know He has placed in my head.

Largely though, the interruptions we experience come from our own sinful, self-obsessed natures. Thomas Manton in his Puritan Sermons 1659-1689, lists six causes for haunting distractions that carry us away from the prayer life God wants for us. These six are:

1. Satan is at our right hand ready to resist us in prayer.
   
   
2. We are restless creatures. It is difficult for all of us to concentrate on one object for any length of time.
   
   
3. We are distracted by practical atheism… Things we see have a greater force upon us that the true God who is Spirit and invisible power.
   
   
4. Lust rooted in us will also distract us when we go about any duty.
   
   
5. Fancy and curiosity offered us by the senses or memory, will be an occasion for diversion.
   
   
6. Sharp worries will hinder our faith and draw away our attention from prayer.

He goes on to say that

“We must be like the priests, who went on with their sacrifices as the Roman troops broke into Jerusalem.”

Next time you give yourself to prayer and Bible reading, remember the enemy of distraction which seeks to bring you away from what God wants to say to you and through you. Satan knows the power behind what you are doing. Pray for God’s grace to shut him out!