17th June 2021

How long is a linger?

“I bring My righteousness near, it shall not be far off; My salvation shall not linger. And I will place salvation in Zion, For Israel My glory.”
Isaiah 46:13 (NKJV)

The verse from Isaiah is just one of the statements scattered through the Bible where God promises swift action. Its context is about God’s assurance that the Jews in Babylon would be brought back home to Judea, but it also points to the coming of Christ.

I wonder how often the Jews, still captives in Babylon, asked, ‘When are we going?’ And, ‘When are you coming?’ is the cry that has come up to God regularly over the ages, from his mortal time-trapped children who look for his reign on earth to begin. And over and over God has said he will not delay. But he recognises our problem. When the prophet Habakkuk was having a bit of a meltdown over injustice and was complaining to God about a lack of action in his day, he was given a vision and an assurance that God would act, but God added, ‘If it seems slow, wait for it’ (Habakkuk 2:3 ESV emphasis mine).

Slow – we know about slow. I expect all children plague their parents on a long journey, after only a few miles, wanting to know how much longer it will be. It is true that our perception of time changes as we grow from babyhood to adulthood, and it seems the older you get the faster it goes, but still we inevitably struggle to take on God’s perspective. In Hebrews we read that the coming of Jesus marked the last days, and that was over two thousand years ago. So our quick is never going to be the same as God’s quick. It can seem as if God is lingering.

Maybe it helps to get time in perspective by looking at the physical world. If we consider that the earth is thought to be over four billion years old and the universe nearly fourteen billion years old, then the last days could stretch for a while.  

There’s another answer of course, other than musing over time and relativity: going about our Father’s business. There’s nothing like keeping busy to make the days fly by.

 

Prayer
Father, you have promised that you will bring salvation to our whole world. And while we live in hope for that day, each day may we live with you, in you, and for you. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Study by Hilary Buck

 

About the writer:
Hilary Buck is a Minister and pastors Grace Communion in Lewes.

Local congregation:
Grace Communion in Lewes
The House of Friendship
208 High Street
Lewes
BN7 2NS

Meeting time:
Sunday 11:00am

Local congregational contact:
Hilary Buck
Email:  lewes@gracecom.church

Word of Life contact:
wordoflife@gracecom.church