HOW MUCH LONGER
LORD
Author
Unknown
“How much longer Lord?” echoes though hearts and minds in
tough times. But we must remember that on the last night of his ‘human’ life,
Jesus gave us the following:
In John 16:33 He said, “In me you may have peace. In the
world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the
world.”
In one breath, Jesus effectively gives us a preview of
what is coming. First, He lets us know that we are going to face trials and
tribulations. We might as well call it ‘troubles on steroids’. As Christians,
trials are something that we will have to get used to. Secondly, Jesus reminds
us, that through it all, we have the best hope we could ever ask for —
Him!
Recognizing these two things may well be the exact
opposite of some commonly held ideas regarding the Christian life. Many hold a
sincere belief in what could be called ‘faith formulas’. These formulas
misrepresent faith by declaring that God would always spare the Christian from
terrible trials if he or she only live a godly
life.
God’s plan for our lives doesn’t follow the pattern of
‘five more minutes and we’re there’. We cannot necessarily expect to receive
this type of response, either to the trials that we face now or to the
challenges the saints will experience as the book of Revelation climaxes to its
literal fulfillment.
Christ tells us that we have a guide who has personally
experienced the difficulties of life. Revelation 22:16 reveals Him as the
Morning Star. Christ is likened to that gleaming beacon that appears in the
earliest, darkest and coldest hours of the day to grant us light and remind us
that the night is passing away.
At times, we may wonder just what it is that allows one
person to move forward in faith during a trial, while another is left paralyzed
by fear. The gift of a steady heart is the key that is held by those who are
able to move through their challenges in daily life, as well as those who will
persevere by God’s grace in the tribulation to come.
God’s way guides our hearts to understand and appreciate
that He will answer all of our questions, including “How much longer, Lord?”. He
will do so at the right time and in the right way. He will never be late “in
bringing many sons to glory”.