Of Promise, Patience and Prize
It is quiz time folks! Name the fourth element in the nine-fold Fruit of the Spirit (Gal 5:22-23). Of course, the first three-Love, Joy and Peace- reel off our mouth instantly but the fourth one (very vital one at that) doesn’t come to our mind just as easily. Well, Patience as the oxford dictionary defines it is the capacity to accept or tolerate delay, problems, or suffering without becoming annoyed or anxious. Spiritually speaking it is all that and more for it can even pass off as the twin virtue of love which bears all things… endures all things (I Cor 13:7).
In this message, I would like bring to the fore how the Almighty develops in us the virtue of patience even while placing a prize before us all with an aim of moulding us into His Son’s image. Talk of metamorphosing an ugly caterpillar (when we come to him warts and all at the point of salvation) into a beautiful butterfly…(2 Cor 3:18, 2 Peter 1:5-11).
Let’s look at some men and even the Son of God donning the human vesture who for the prize that was placed before them took “everything” in their stride “patiently” (Heb 12:2). What is common among the greatest Prime-Minister in Biblical history, greatest King of Israel and the Saviour of the World is that promise of something “juicy” was not immediately followed by it falling on their lap but them obtaining it only after exhibiting oodles of patience in waiting and even suffering for it.
Prime-Minister…
“Here comes the dreamer” hissed his envious brothers’ contemptuously even while plotting his murder as they saw Joseph in “designer attire” of his times from a distance riding “majestically” towards them on a donkey (Gen 37:17-20). About 1650 years later, “someone” who “rode majestically” on the back of a donkey into Jerusalem (Matt 21:1-9) also figured in the murderous conspiracy of his envious “elder brothers” in Ministry (Pharisees and Saducees-Matt 26:4).
Now what exactly were Joseph dreams’ which amongst other reasons contributed to his elder brothers’ turning green with envy? To quote verbatim from the Scriptures and its interpretation thereof…”my sheaf rose and stood upright, while your sheaves gathered around mine and bowed down to it.” … and “this time the sun and moon and eleven stars were bowing down to me.” …meaning virtually, he would be a high and mighty ruler one day with even his kith and kin being his subjects (Gen 37:5-11).
Well did Joseph’s dreams come to pass immediately. Well they had go through the pit-Potiphar’s house (den of temptations actually)-prison- before stepping into the palace, as it were. In the process consider what “all” transpired…let the Scripture take over at this stage…
There in prison they hurt his feet with fetters and placed his neck in an iron collar until God’s time finally came—how God tested his patience! –Psalm 105:18-19 (TLB)
Let Scripture continue to speak…
Then the king sent for him and set him free. He was put in charge of the entire king’s possessions.-Psalm 105:20
Lessons’ to be learnt apart from the all –too-obvious fact…Patience pays? Firstly, the good Lord in His sovereign wisdom permits lies and injustice, yes I reiterate lies and injustice to triumph at the expense of His chosen ones’, which would be a quite a bitter pill to swallow for His loved ones’ bred as they have been from childhood onwards on societal clichés such as “Truth triumphs and lies lose” . “What’s happening, Lord” is the question which would initially pop-up in the confused minds of the devout lot even as slowly but steadily the final beautiful design of their lives prepared by the Master artist emerges before their eyes. As the full scope of His grand tapestry is revealed slowly but surely (Rom 8:28/2 Cor 3:18) to His loved ones’ what other choice is there to them other than to mouth loud Hallelujahs’ in this World and the Next.
Some of course tragically as the Scripture bears out did not quite co-operate with the Master trainer and lost out…consider this Scripture
“And you shall remember the whole way that the LORD your God has led you these forty years in the wilderness, that he might humble you, testing you to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep his commandments or not. And he humbled you and let you hunger and fed you with manna, which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that he might make you know that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD.”-Deu 8:2-3
Quite unjust of the Lord to let us go hungry opined the majority lot (the ones’ which came out of Egypt and were travelling towards their prized Promised Land) when confronted albeit only temporarily with hunger pangs. They rebelled against Him with tragic consequences (Numbers 11). Though this may not have been recorded in the Scriptures, we can safely presume that for the likes of godly Joshua or Caleb (even while rubbing shoulders’ with the disgruntled lot off to the Promised Land) rebellion against the Lord’s will was never a possibility. They patiently took a stand borne out of love reasoning all the while that “man shall not live by bread alone but by every word that comes from the mouth of God” meaning that the Lord’s presence with them was more important than any presence or absence of food. If that be so, make a note ministers’ of God of 21st century…Thou shall not live by any earthly appreciation alone but by His approval of thy ministry done for His glory!!!
Ruler…
Action: Display of the map, showing 15 different locations, David the fugitive fled to, whilst escaping from King Saul
“I would have to live in harsh environs of many a cave for many years before entering the cool comforts of the palace” was the thought that would have never crossed anointed young shepherd boy David’s mind as he was being nationally feted after his heroic feat of slaying mighty Goliath (I Sam 18:6-9). But envious King Saul fuelled by murderous rage, much like the envious brothers’ of Joseph made life miserable for poor David chasing him all around the country making the poor innocent hero-turned fugitive change 15 locations whilst escaping for his life.Then come two opportunities for fugitive David to slay his unjust enemy (who would even propagate lies vis-à-vis David…oh how lies and injustice go hand in hand-1 Sam 22:6-8) but David used those two chances to showcase his godly patience (1 Sam 24/26) instead.
In both the instances, even as his mates in trouble urged him to wield the sword to finish off his foe who was out to mercilessly snuff out his life, David wielded something else…something really wondrous at a time none may have Scripturally (Exo 21:24) faulted him for his act of revenge, for was not “eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth” the norm then? I reiterate, he displayed much to His enemy’s amazement godly patience (oh-so-precious to the Lord) letting go of his foe even while patiently bidding his time to become the King in God’s own appointed time. And when that time of coronation finally came, he went on to become Israel’s greatest King wielding (wielding again eh) total control from River Euphrates in the north to the borders of Egypt in the South (2 Sam 8) which was actually God’s original geographical promise for Abraham’s descendents (Gen 15:18-21/Joshua 1:3-4) but was sadly not brought to fruition by not-so-godly, not-so-obedient Jewish leaders before David.
Saviour…
“Now my soul is deeply troubled. Shall I pray, ‘Father, save me from what lies ahead’? But that is the very reason why I came!” – John 12:27
The Saviour was set-apart as the World atoning Lamb (1 Peter 1:20/Rev 13:8) even before the foundation of the World was laid. While that was true the fact that, He would reign beside the Father on completion of pain-wrought redemption plan was also fore-ordained. Firstly more about his encounter with injustice and lies. Consider this Scripture portion….
“…their voices prevailed-Luke 23:23”
What exactly “prevailed” when the Scripture states that “their voices (seeking His crucifiction) prevailed” (Luke 23:23)? Stark injustice over justice, blatant lies over truth but to the fore emerged the Son of God’s indescribable patience in the excruciatingly painful ordeal He was going to go through shortly. Later post death by crucifixion, his body lay still in the cold grave for three days. Then finally at God’s appointed time again, if from the prison emerged the greatest Biblical Prime-Minister, if from the “cave” emerged Israel’s greatest ruler, then from the cold, sullen grave stepped out now the God-ordained Saviour….for it was His voluntary painful death alone borne out of His patience which marked Him out to be the “Captain of our Salvation” (Heb 2:10 KJV and TLB) and not his wise teachings or astounding miracles, which in themselves were unmistakably great.
And say Christian are you presently in a God-designed “cocoon” of suffering? Unaware to others, are you in wise God’s “simulated” (He can create em’) conditions resembling a stifling cocoon? Remember, He is transforming you from an ugly Caterpillar into a beautiful butterfly before putting you in the throne of ruling angels (1 Cor 6:3). Hang on for coming out of the “cocoon” before God’s “appointed time” would result in serious under-development of your “wings”. It is indeed a zoological fact also that, if anyone helps the “struggling” Butterfly whilst emerging from the narrow hole in its cocoon, by cutting open the latter, he would do more harm than good to the beautiful creature, for its “struggle” has been designed by the all wise God in order its body fluid spreads to its wings in this “painful” process, so that they develop perfectly.
It needs to be remembered that while Lord Jesus was speaking to the 7 Churches in Turkey which represents the Church of the last 2000 years (through the ages all the Churches have borne clear resemblance to the 7 mentioned in Rev 2-3), He used strikingly different metaphors to describe their different issues and different precious Heavenly prizes in store but what was strikingly common to ALL of them was the call to be “victorious” (Rev 2:7, 10-11, 17, 26 and 3:5, 12 and 21). What is this victory, if it is not patient endurance till the end of all the persecutions coming our way garbed in the form of lies and injustice from time and time!!!
Overcoming the temptation (Come down from the Cross chants…Matt 27:39-43) to go in for petty retaliation and subjugation of our tormentors (unlike a pent-up Moses whose hasty action terribly displeased the Master Trainer-Numbers 20:1-13) even while patiently waiting all the time for liberty to come from Him alone (I Peter 2:20-21/ 5:10) is what true victory entails. For this, by His grace whilst we exercise spiritually (highly recommended-I Tim 4:8/Rom 8:26-27), strengthening our inner man (Eph 3:16/Heb 13:9), victory for His glory will be ours, sooner than we think!!! Hey, our good Lord is also eminently capable of reversing the circumstances’ completely by transforming the persecutors themselves into benefactors (sic -Dan 3:24-30)!!! So take heart!!! Hallelujah!!!
Father, grant us all patience to wait for Your perfect timing in all times, even if it is liberation from all lies and injustice which engulfs your precious Church. We know it is coming. For it we praise Thee in Jesus’ Name. Amen!!!
Suresh Manoharan
