Thursday, August 11, 2011

Hurry Up and Wait

I prefer slow pitch softball. Once the pitcher releases the ball you have about fifteen minutes to wait for it to get to you, decide where you want to hit it and swing away. Such leisure doesn’t come with baseball.

A major league fastball humming around 95 mph takes less than a second to leave the pitcher and reach home plate. In fact it’s less than half a second. That’s not a lot of time to deliberate. A hitter needs to know what he intends to do before the pitcher begins his wind-up then change that plan within the blink of an eye if the ball isn’t where he wants it to be. That’s why averages in the .300’s are remarkable.

I remember the coach saying, “Wait for your pitch.” In softball that’s no problem. You’ve got half the day for the ball to get there. You’ve figured out everything about it: how it’s spinning, when it will arrive, what brand it is, what you want to do with it. But to only have .4 seconds within which to make those discoveries, waiting on your pitch is asking a bit much.

For most of us, our brain can’t react within .4 seconds to get make a decision and get our bat swinging. The catcher’s already throwing the ball back by the time we finally swing through. How do you wait for what you can’t see?

God says repeatedly in Scripture to wait for Him. It implies He has things going on we just can’t see, and, if we wait, it will all be clear soon. Like calling 911. They don’t instantly appear. They usually have to drive a while to get there.

God can work instantly but often times out events with resources. We call them coincidences while in reality, God is simply making divine appointments. He is not surprised when we call out to Him and doesn’t have to travel to get there. But the answer to what we cry out for may be a not yet, simply because all the pieces aren’t in place yet.

The doctor that’s going to perform the surgery that saves your life may still be in medical school. The person that’s going to help you in your time of grief may have yet to move next door. The dog that’s going to smell the fire and wake you to escape your burning house may not even be born yet. The kid that’s going to help you understand God’s love is only a toddler.

And a hundred other things God will use to work out His intentions in your life may need time to get in place. But without doubt, God is faithful. They will be there when we need them.

Wait on the Lord. He’s never early, never late, always right on time.

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