Divine Delays

Have you ever had a time in your life, friend, where you were in a jam and you couldn't get out, and you didn't know what to do but to pray and ask God for intervention and deliverance, and you prayed desperately and continually with importunity, and you were coming close to a deadline that had to be met, and God did not show up when you wanted Him to, and you asked yourself why, and you cried in your heart, where is the God of Elijah? I was in a desperate time this week and plumb out of money and resources. Well, what do you do? Do you doubt God's care over you? No, friends, that thought comes from the devil. What you do is stand on the promises of God and stay on your knees and pray to Him in the process and praise Him in the distress that He will receive glory from it.

I spent all day looking for God to show up and meet my great necessity and need. It was 5 30 in the afternoon and no help had yet come, and all I could do was to look to Him and stay on my God. As my desperation deepened, I dropped to my knees and poured out my heart to God that I was not disappointed in Him, but only disappointed in me, and that I loved Him with all my heart and all my mind and all my soul, and that I knew He could be trusted, and that His word was true, and that although my situation looked grim, that He was a God who worked best in the impossible, because His word declares, with God all things are possible, and all things are possible to him that believes.

Well, I rose to my feet and looked at my ministry PayPal account and saw a recent activity that just hit with the explanation, you should have received this eight hours ago, but I failed to hit the donate button properly. Well, that was God's sovereign divine delay. God used those eight hours of my life to deepen my walk with Him and to develop my love to Him more.

God used those strategic eight hours to further instruct me in the school of Christ by making me realize my utter reliance and dependence upon Him, and He strengthened my prayer life with Him. Listen friends, the need was met, and my prayer was answered, but there was a divine delay. God's provision came when He wanted me to receive it.

Don't miss that last statement friends. God gave it to me when He was ready for me to receive it, so that the instruction that intended it would not be wasted or forgotten. For during those eight hours I was self-emptied, stripped, and cast upon Him in desperation and humiliation.

Listen friends, God has our best interests at heart, and He wants us to become more Christ-like every day. Why, every day is an opportunity to become more like Jesus. Oh friends, how wonderful it would be that when I preached to you that you did not see this worn-out preacher, but that you only saw Christ shine through me.

In former times, years ago, there was a brass plaque fastened to the pulpit stairs, which the preacher's eyes could not help but see as he entered the pulpit, and it said, Sir, we wish to see Jesus. I remember Adrian Rogers saying every time I was with him, I felt I was with Jesus. Oh, let me see Jesus in you friends as well.

I want to speak this evening on divine delays. I want us to look into two scripture passages dealing with our subject. First, we'll be in the Gospel of Mark in chapter 6. You can turn in your Bibles there now friends.

We will be in verses 45 through 48. You're well familiar with the story here in our text. The disciples enter a boat to cross over the Sea of Galilee, and they encounter a storm, and in their desperation, they row and row and struggle in that windswept ship for three or four miles, the text says.

Now listen to her verse. And when he had sent them away, he departed into a mountain to pray. And when evening was come, the ship was in the midst of the sea, and he alone on the land.

And he saw them toiling and rowing, for the wind was contrary unto them. And about the fourth watch of the night, he cometh unto them, walking upon the sea. The troubled disciples, in the midst of their distress, were not out from under the watchful eye of their master.

Our text reads, he saw them toiling and rowing. As Christ watched them with his eyes, you can be sure friends, he had them on his heart, and he had their best interest in view for their lives. Oh, what a wonderful Savior we serve! He saw them.

And friend, he sees you in the midst of your trial as well. He sees you in your toil and anguish, and he hears your desperate cry. You're not out from under his watchful eye, nor his care for you.

But why did he delay coming to his disciples? In John's gospel, it states, and it was now dark, and Jesus was not come to them. It was dark. They needed help right away, for the storm was overwhelming.

The Sea of Galilee, because of its topography, is prone to sudden and violent storms. These men were experienced sailors, and they struggled and toiled, making little progress against the wind. But why did Jesus wait? Why did he wait until the fourth watch of the night to come out to deliver them? The Roman watch is divided into parts, and the fourth watch is between three and six a.m. The disciples were out there on the perilous waters a long time, and they were drenched and exhausted, and felt all hope was gone.

Oh, why the divine delay? I want us to see another divine delay, recorded in the gospel of John, friends. In chapter 11, you're all familiar with the story of the death of Lazarus and Christ raising him to life. In verse 3, we read, Therefore his sisters sent unto him, saying, Lord, behold, he whom thou lovest is sick.

Now look at verse 6, friends. When he heard, therefore, that he was sick, he abode two days, still in the same place where he was. Why, friends, why? Jesus knew the immediate need.

He loved Martha, Mary, and Lazarus. But why the divine delay? We receive the answer, I believe, in verse 4. When Jesus heard that, he said, This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God might be glorified thereby. It was for the glory of God.

And also, friends, that God could demonstrate his power over death. Jesus states later in the text, that they may believe that thou hast sent me. Why, souls were at stake as well.

I want examine why the divine delays. There are several aspects of the divine delay I'd like to bring before you this evening. Let's look first at four reasons from the Godward side.

Number one, God waits to be gracious so he can be exalted. We see this in Isaiah 30, 18, which declares, And therefore will the Lord wait, that he may be gracious unto you, and therefore will he be exalted. Number two, God delays so he can receive glory by saving souls.

John 6, 45 speaks of the raising of Lazarus from the dead. Then many of the Jews which came to Mary, and had seen the things which Jesus did, believed on him. What if, friends, Christ had come immediately and healed Lazarus before he died? It was the greater work of God that accomplished the deeper work of God in salvation.

What if, friend, God is using your present distress and his delay of coming to you because someone's soul is at stake? Number three, God will often use a divine delay to test and to develop our faith. And number four, God wants to demonstrate his power like doing the impossible, as in walking on water, and raising the dead, or saving a wretch like me. Now let's look at four aspects of the divine delay on the manward side.

Number one, God wants us to experience him in a deeper way, and to trust him more. We are in the school of Christ, and the master teacher wants us to learn a thing for our good and his glory. Number two, through the delay, we are stripped, pruned, purged, and emptied of self and all self-reliance, and are cast entirely upon God and God alone.

Number three, in the delay, God wants to speak to us, and this is the best time for us to hear him, to hear what he is speaking to us. Number four, in the delay, we have our prayer life deepened, our faith strengthened, and our usefulness sharpened. In Isaiah 41-15, we see this.

Behold, I will make thee a new sharp threshing instrument, having teeth. Listen to me, friend. The God who saved you will make you into the person he wants you to be for his witness and his glory.

Your present trials may be a time for God to sharpen your usefulness to him. Listen to 1 Peter 5-10. But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus.

Now listen, friends, after that ye have suffered a while, I'll make you perfect, establish, strengthen, settle you. God is with you in your trial, friend, and he's working in you and through you, and he will see you through. Well, I hope this little study has given you a better understanding of divine delays.

I can promise you this, friends, no matter your trial and suffering, you can rest assured that God's word is true, and he is true to his word. And do you know what else, friend? Jesus is not only worthy, he is worth it. Let us pray.