Book 1 of Musings Deferred Hope

That thing you desire so fervently - will it really bring you lasting joy? You had better ask God about it!

The mark of a mature Christian is his willingness wait for the Lord's time. The immature Christian cannot bear to have his intense desires remain unfulfilled.

Sometimes we burn with passion about one thing or another. This emotion almost never is of the Lord.

Whether we are speaking or a relationship, a circumstance, or a thing, we never should be in a state of fierce possessiveness. You can count on the fact that this attraction is not coming from the Lord but from your soul and flesh.

I have noticed that when we are burning with desire, or are fearful, or excited, it is not wise to prophesy. Invariably the prophecy will be distorted.

The ways of the Lord are those of peace, joy, contentment, not burning desire.

Young Christians often experience some sort of flaming desire. They are positive God has spoken to them. Usually it is not God.

So what do you do? You pray! pray! pray! You wait! wait! wait!

If there is an elder or someone you trust, you might find it profitable to consult that individual. Sometimes even an unsaved person can give you good advice.

I'll tell you how Satan works. He loves to remain in the dark. He will counsel you to not tell anyone about your secret desire. "They will never understand."

Satan works in the subjective realm. God works in the objective. The things that are of God are plain, simple, solid, "down home" rather than exotic. They are Sarah rather than Hagar.

If you are a romantic type of person, Satan will work in elevated tones. Symphonic music. Dreams and visions of castles and shining cities. You will be swept off your feet with desire, being certain God is lifting you into a better realm. You feel wonderful, raised to a new level of being.

This sort of thing almost always is Satan no matter how "beautiful" it may seem at the time.

I'll tell you one thing; this world is under a curse. When you try to make the present world a paradise you will enter the realms of deception. This world is the valley of the shadow of death. It is a rugged wilderness of trouble all the way, not a romantic vision of loveliness.

Some are led astray by their love of money, or adventure, or lust, or drugs, or a desire to be preeminent. Satan studies their profile and pitches his deceptions accordingly.

I guess it takes many years before the bonfire burns down to glowing ashes. You can cook over glowing ashes, not over a bonfire.

Do we wait until we have no more desire for this or that? You wait until the object of your affections becomes manageable. As long as it is, "I simply will die if I don't get her, or him, or receive this thing, or that thing, or this or that happens to me," you can be sure you are dealing with an idol that you desire to worship.

You know, the strongest temptations we ever will have will be in the area that God has placed in our heart. The Lord Jesus was tested with His desire to govern the kingdoms of the world, because it is to this He has been appointed by the Father.

The problem is, Satan attempts to persuade us to take a shortcut. If the Lord Jesus had worshiped Satan in order to gain the kingdoms of the world, He would have lost everything.

It is the same with you and me. Satan will work on those areas that are our greatest strength, our appointed destiny. God has placed great joy ahead of us because He plans on giving us the desires of our heart. But first God has to make certain we will obey Him if we never receive what we desire so strongly. The Father tested the Lord Jesus in this manner.

Have you ever wanted something badly, such as a new car; and then a few weeks later you took it for granted. The truth is, nothing permanently satisfies a human being except the possession of the Lord Himself.

Have you ever wanted something badly, then began to feel it was not the Lord's will, but grasped it anyway? How did it turn out? (You answer that.)

Do you remember David's son, Amnon? He was madly in love with his sister, Tamar. "Oh if I could only have Tamar how happy I would be."

Amnon raped Tamar, and then hated her. What a tragic series of results from this one act of passion, ending in Amnon's murder by Absalom!

If we will delight ourselves in the Lord, He shall give us the desires of our heart. In His presence is fullness of joy. At his right hand there are pleasures forevermore.

Hope deferred makes the heart sick; but when the desire comes it is a tree of life.

We cry out "I thirst! I thirst!" God brings us through the wilderness and feeds us with manna each day. He is doing this to test our heart, to see if we will obey Him when we possess the true riches in the glorious ages to come. God will have no disobedient sons who, having been equipped with mighty power, proceed to undo all the good God has accomplished as they rage about like Satan in their self-will.

I don't like to talk about "keys to the successful Christian life." I point people toward the Lord, not toward "spiritual principles."

But it certainly is true that all saints have one thing in common: God defers our most ardent desires - sometimes for many years.

The higher rank you are destined to occupy, the greater the treasures that are to be yours, the more severely you are going to be tested in the realm of deferred hope.

This is difficult for American Christians. Any time you interfere with the immediate pleasure of an American you are asking for trouble.

This is why the personal cross of the believer is not preached very much in our country. We don't like to hear about being denied something we desire intensely. We talk about God being a "good God," meaning He will never let anything happen to us that deprives us of pleasure.

I wonder how many American Christians can suffer tragic loss, and then look up to God knowing and stating God is seeking our good by permitting us to suffer pain. Anyone can praise God when he have everything he wants. But to praise God when we are so low we have to look up to see the bottom - that is an act of majesty worthy of one of God's future kings.

Yes, we American Christians are soft and spoiled. But God loves us. Therefore the future will be filled with all sorts of exercises in patience, courage, and trust. We will be made perfect and enter the Kingdom of God through much tribulation.

So the wise Christian will put all of his treasures, including his loved ones, in Heaven. As we say, he will put them all on the altar.

Then he will set out to serve Christ with a perfect heart, knowing full well that the whole universe is working for his good, to bring him into the moral image of Christ that he might be a brother of Christ. "The stars in their courses are fighting against Sisera."

Look for the waters of Shiloah that run softly. In quietness and confidence shall be your strength. If you will serve the Lord diligently you will be singing and dancing in the heights of Zion when the world is in flames. Only then will you be in a position to help our citizens once the judgment of God begins to operate.

Be of good cheer. It is your Father's good pleasure to give you the Kingdom. You may be being tested now, but better days are ahead. After you have suffered a while He will establish, strengthen, and settle you.

Put your hopes with Christ in Heaven. Think of what it will be like when you die and hear the "Well done!" of the Lord. And then picture yourself in the Day of Resurrection when a grateful Lord bestows on you all you have ever desired.

In His Presence is fullness of joy. You can't have fullness of joy until you have everything you desire.

All that you want must first be crucified. Then, if it will bring you perfect joy, it will be raised again in Christ. Then it is your eternal possession.

Whatever you do, don't reach out and grasp something you want until you are absolutely positive this is God's will for you. Otherwise you are asking for a great deal of pain.

Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him and he will do this: He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn, the justice of your cause like the noonday sun. (Psalms 37:4-6)

We Have Not Because We Ask Not-

Cry out to God with all your might.

Who knows what wonders He will show you!

It must be a puzzle to the angels when they consider the promises in the Bible, and how few people take advantage of them.

I guess there are reasons why we don't request and receive more of the treasures God has promised to those who ask.

One reason is we probably don't believe He will answer. We may have been a Christian for many years. Perhaps we have asked God several times for something, for a loved one to turn to the Lord, for example; and it hasn't taken place.

Of recent date is the idea of trying to bring answers into existence by "speaking the word of faith." You know, speaking the word of faith is not the same as going to the Lord in prayer.

We may stagger at the promise of God. The Lord Jesus promised that whoever believed in Him would do greater works than He performed. We may figure, "This is impossible. There is no use hoping I am going to do greater works than Christ, so what's the use of even considering it."

Another reason, in America at least, is we are too busy to spend the time to get serious with God. If we ask, and it doesn't happen right now, we figure it will never take place. We are used to computers and microwave ovens that act when we direct them to.

Sometimes people feel God is too busy to pay attention to their requests. After all, He is running the universe.

Then there is the famous "God helps those who help themselves." The idea is, "put feet on your prayers." Putting feet on your prayers is something like putting shoes on an eagle. Eagles don't get much accomplished while they are walking around, but they are impressive when they are soaring over the mountains (without shoes!).

We have many reasons why we do not pray for what God has promised. None of these reasons is worth a spoonful of dust.

We may have asked God for something and we don't have it - yet. This is no reason to stop asking, hoping, and believing.

The Lord Jesus said we could ask what we will, in His name, and it shall be done for us. If this isn't true neither is John 3:16. God does not lie!

So we have to ask ourselves, "How come I didn't get my answer?"

We must realize God always honors His Word. The moment you ask for something in the name of the Lord Jesus you enter the covenant: "Ask what you will and it shall be done for you."

You have asked. Now what? What happens is the mighty engines of God begin to turn in terms of your request.

God examines you and your request. He looks to see if what you are asking for is what you really desire, or if it something you just think you desire and will not bring you joy.

If you are a person of prayer you may note that God may modify your request. You have to kind of roll with the Spirit. It may be God knows that what you are asking will result in great misery. You do not want that, do you?

Of course not. So if you are patient, God will show you why what you are asking for is not what you really want.

You certainly don't want God to get tired of your asking and give you something just to get you to stop asking, when He knows it is going to make you miserable.

God hears when you pray. Let's say that God knows your request will bring you the joy you are hoping for. God also understands that if you received it now you could not hold it, just as Adam and Eve were unable to hold Paradise once they had it.

So what will God do? You guessed it! He will begin to work on you so once you get what you are asking for you will be able to keep it, and it will bring you lasting joy.

So there are good reasons why our answer may be delayed.

On the other hand, we may receive what we ask for the moment the prayer is out of our mouth.

As far as trying to get what you want by exercising "faith," keep away from this. This is not true biblical faith. It is a way of affecting the unseen world by imposing your soul force. You don't want this. It is not a prayer to Jesus. It is your soul seeking to utilize power to get what it wants.

No true Christian wants any power that is not from Christ. Moreover, no true saint attempts to get power from Christ or get the power of Christ. The true saint is a worshiper of the Lord. He prays and listens to what the Lord wants. Then he obeys. He is not "God's man of faith and power." He is a slave of the great and powerful Christ.

There is a big difference here. We are to call on the Lord, not on our soulish faith.

Abraham did not stagger at the promise of God. When Abraham had no child, the Lord told him that his seed would be as the stars of Heaven. Abraham said "Amen."

It is interesting that although Abraham had never seen anyone raised from the dead, as far as we know, yet he believed if he sacrificed Isaac, God would raise Isaac from the dead in order to keep God's Word to Abraham.

Notice carefully that this was not a presumptuous attitude or action on Abraham's part. Abraham was forced into this dilemma as he obeyed God. He was not "stepping out in faith."

Abraham considered the earth and the firmament and came to the conclusion that God is able to do anything He chooses to do.

If Jesus spoke of greater works, then greater works it is. I have asked since I was in Bible school to perform the greater works. I will see this come to pass some day, in this world or the next. God means exactly what He says.

We Americans are characterized by our ability to get things done. We are not a meditative people. We are in action. We are busy.

It is well that we are not lazy. We know from the Scripture about what happened to the man who buried his talent.

However, busyness and constant activity can interfere with our ability to serve the Lord properly. It takes time to pray each day. I do not mean to just get down and go through our shopping list. I mean to wait before God until we know He has heard us, and we begin to hear from Him. We have to cultivate diligently the ability to pray without ceasing.

This morning the handheld part of my cordless phone was not functioning. Out of long practice, the first thing I did was bring the problem before the Lord. I immediately received assurance that the problem would be fixed.

By ten o'clock this morning the phone was working. I called up the technician at Panasonic. He walked me through the steps to correct what was wrong.

Perhaps some people would have fretted and become upset or even angry. The phone is only seven months old. They might have spoiled their whole day planning the best way to take advantage of the guarantee.

How much simpler to just go to the Lord and see what He has to say about it, and then receive the peace that comes when we know the Lord has heard and the answer is on the way.

What peace we often forfeit because we do not bring everything to God in prayer, as the old hymn goes.

Are you developing the habit of bringing everything to God in prayer; the small things as well as the great? Someone said you can cut wood faster if you will take the time to sharpen the axe. The same is true of prayer. Time spent in prayer now may save us a great deal of time later on.

God is never too busy to take the time to hear the slightest of our requests. It is we who are too busy, not God. How disappointed God becomes when one of His saints fails to bring a problem to Him, thinking that God is too busy to listen and answer.

God knows the sparrow that falls to the ground. God knows the number of hairs on our head. Not only that, He knows the molecular structure of each hair.

God is not a human being, He is the Power that brought into existence the entire universe. He knows the way of the ant as well as He does the path of the remotest galaxy. Yes, He wants to hear our slightest question. He is not too busy. We may be too busy to ask, but God is not too busy to hear and answer our request.

Did you ever hear someone say "God helps those who help themselves"? You know the motive behind this saying? It is that people want to be left alone to live their life without God interfering. It is an arrogant statement. It is the very opposite of "the just shall live by faith."

As we pray, God may urge us to perform some difficult task. I know of a lady who was in great pain. God told her to get out of bed. She forced herself to push against the pain and get up. When she did she was healed.

This is not something we are to attempt, unless God so directs. We may make ourselves worse trying to "step out in faith."

The true saint looks to God for every detail of life. We may look for formulas for spiritual success. God looks for a loving relationship with us.

And as far as putting feet on our prayers, which is a cynical way of saying it is fine to pray as long as we then go out and answer our own prayers, it is, as I said, like putting shoes on an eagle. Eagles are meant to fly. Prayers have wings, not shoes. They are meant to soar in the heavens.

It is commendable to be practical and to work hard. There is no place in the Kingdom for laziness, carelessness, for lack of diligence.

Prayer is not a substitute for hard work. Prayer is our lifeline, like the oxygen hose that attaches a diver to his ship. All the effort in the world will not accomplish our desires if we are cut off from the oxygen supply, from the Life that comes from above. The diver receives his life and instructions from above, as well as the pressure that enables him to resist the pressure of the water.

Let us think of our life that way.

Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know. (Jeremiah 33:3)