Impatient with God?

When I want an instant answer to prayer, I ask God to show me my sinfulness. Last night I started to read again “The Prayer Life” by Andrew Murphy. His first chapter is about the sin of prayerlessness. He says that being in the flesh rather than in the Spirit is the cause. So I asked God to show me what was keeping me from praying as I ought.

This morning, Charnock’s reading for today hit me with a short discussion on the patient wisdom of God. It says:

The most impotent persons are the most impatient when unforeseen emergencies arise; or at events expected by them when their feeble prudence was not a sufficient match to contest or prevent them. But the wiser anyone is, the more he bears with those things which seem to cross his intentions, because he knows he grasps the whole affair and is sure of attaining the end he proposes . . . yet, as a finite wisdom can have but a finite patience, so an infinite wisdom possesses an infinite patience.

Bingo. While I rely on God for patience with the important issues, I can get impatient over little things. While this does not seem connected to prayer, from reading this and thinking about it, I can see how my fleshy desire for instant results can keep me from talking to God. Without a quick answer, I tend to stop asking.

Today’s devotional reading was like putting salve on a sore spot. Here the focus is not on how foolish I am but on the wonder of what God has done about it. The author writes that to make me acceptable to God, my sin must be punished and His justice must be satisfied. Even the sin of not praying about everything deserves separation from Him forever. Yet the Gospel tells the good news: the only way God could both punish me for sin and save me from sin was by the “infinitely meritorious, voluntary and efficacious death, burial and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ, my Substitute.” Jesus became sin for me, willingly assuming all responsibility for my neglect.

When Isaiah 53 says “He was despised and rejected” yet “pierced for our transgressions . . . crushed for our iniquities” — that includes all those times that I turn to my own way. Every iniquity was laid upon Him, not just the gross sins easily put at the top of the list but the things I do apart from His way without even noticing it, which seems worse than noticing it. He was oppressed, afflicted, yet patiently led like a lamb to slaughter and stricken for even the least of my transgressions. (Isaiah 53:1–8)

Impatience with little things does not seem so little as He shows me that I am actually impatient with Him. Even if I don’t move ahead and try to answer my own prayers, this shows up in not praying if the results take too long. And Hebrews 9 tells me that salvation is about “eagerly waiting for Him” not being impatient about it. (Hebrews 9:24–28)

PRAY: Jesus, I can see the connection between impatient with my impotence to do something about life’s challenges, and this foolish impatience with You when I bring those challenges to You. Who am I to think You should quickly do anything for me? And yet You have done all things that I need and are entirely patient with me. Forgive my attitude and actions and fill me with Your Spirit so I will always be eager to talk to You, even if in Your wisdom You decide this is not the best time for answers.

The Gospel is the Power of God

Only the Gospel meets all my needs. If I feel good, the Gospel brings deeper joy and explains why I can be this way. If I feel the weight of my foolishness, the Gospel lifts it. If I am angry at someone, it puts my perspective on forgiveness. If I feel unloved, this good news from God banishes that negativity. If I am proud, it humbles me. If I am low, it lifts me up.

In my electronic calendar, I’ve set a monthly reminder to read Isaiah 52-54 so I will think again of the plan of God to redeem sinners, the plan made long ago and fulfilled in Jesus Christ. Today’s devotional directs me to read this passage from those important chapters. It is talking about Jesus and the Gospel . . .

Who has believed what he has heard from us? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed? For he grew up before him like a young plant, and like a root out of dry ground; he had no form or majesty that we should look at him, and no beauty that we should desire him. He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so he opened not his mouth. By oppression and judgment he was taken away; and as for his generation, who considered that he was cut off out of the land of the living, stricken for the transgression of my people? (Isaiah 53:1–8)

Jesus obeyed the law to establish righteousness for us, but that was not enough; justice against sin must be satisfied, so Jesus became sin for us. He had none of His own, but took upon Himself all our sin and as our substitute received the wrath of God for our transgressions. He died as my substitute, assuming responsibility for my sin against Him.

Because of Jesus, God declared that my sin is washed away and I have been pardoned, forgiven, even made holy in the sight of God, now bearing the righteousness of my Savior. Not only that, He gave me a new role in life. I am His ambassador, a citizen of heaven living here on earth to share this amazing message with others . . .

Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. (2 Corinthians 5:20–21)

Jesus, You became sin for me that I might share in your righteousness and be reconciled to God the Father. This good news overwhelms me, delights me, and often brings me to tears as I realize it was necessary. I am sad for the pain You suffered, yet overjoyed that death could not hold You — You rose from the grave and gave me, and all who believe in You, the wonderful gift of eternal life — for which I am eternally grateful!