Be Prepared
Yes, let all who hope in You be not shamed. Let the treacherous be shamed, empty-handed. Psalm 25:3 Robert Alter translation
Hope – After our recent discussion of batah, you might expect to find that word behind the English “hope.” To trust is to hope. The result is a public display. But that’s not what the psalmist wants to communicate here. Here the word is qawa’. It is used in Psalm 130:5, Isaiah 40:31, Job 14:7 and Proverbs 23:18 and many other places. The important connection, hidden from us in translation, is that qawa’ is about waiting. To trust God is to hope in His benevolence, but to hope in Him is to wait! Perseverance, steadfastness, loyalty, tenacity, patience, endurance, stamina: all of these characteristics reveal the character of the one who hopes in the Lord.
God is never in a hurry, but He is never late.
If I trust in Him, I know that His timing is “never hurried-never late.” And I must be patient. My faithfulness is the action of waiting for Him to act. This is no passive attitude. There is much to be done during the time of anticipation. We must be prepared for God’s action. When He acts, the sea parts, the mountains split, the graves open, the stars fall. Woe to those who stand unprepared. But when He acts is not up to us.
Ah, of course you already knew that, didn’t you? It’s just that we so easily forget. We want to climb to the top of the Temple and throw ourselves off so that God has to do something now! But it doesn’t work that way. We hope. We wait. We wait some more. Never hurried—never late. Do you think it’s possible to adopt that attitude about your needs, your problems, your desires? What a change that requires in a world where tomorrow is already too late.
What if faith is determined by your ability to wait for God? What if believing in Him, trusting Him, hoping in Him is all measured by how long you can wait? Why are you living according to a five-year plan rather than God’s thousand-year purpose? Isn’t waiting the essence of kairos, that Greek word for the exact moment when everything is harmonized, that Greek word for which there is no English equivalent? What would happen if I examined your life in terms of waiting? How would you fare? Did you wait for God’s timing with the job, with your spouse, with your community, with your location? Did you eagerly expect, constantly prepare but restrain from acting while He was involved in kairos timing? Did you?
Those who hope-wait will not be shamed. They will enjoy the fruit of endurance in the light of public. God vindicates those who wait. Just ask the man who cited Psalm 22 during his execution.
Topical Index: hope, qawa’, wait, Psalm 25:3
I hope and trust each of us has seen
first hand how God moves the pieces
on the chess board.
He does so according to His will and
aligns us and our circumstances to
further His purposes here on earth.
His moves are always easy to spot:
easy, because they’re moves we’d
never be able to do in and of ourselves.
Nothing builds our faith more securely
than witnessing the hand of God moving,
and knowing that it happened precisely
because only He could have done so!
And just wait! There’s much more ahead.
When He’s ready, it’ll happen!
Only One?
We must never give up hope. Hope, along with faith and love “abides” (remains) forever.” Hope springs from faith, and love (both for God and for each other) finds it’s source in hope. Faith, hope and love – what a blessed tri-unity of the word of God.
What is hope, (biblical hope) exactly? Hope is more, – much more, than anticipation! Oh, I do hope I get a puppy for my birthday, or I hope the boss gives me a raise, or I hope the mailman delivers my package, today.. No, this is NOT (biblical) hope. Because it does take “hope” to cope, we must know (eido or ginosko?) what hope is. This is hope:
Hope is Confident Expectation. (great expectations!) Not merely I “hope so,” but I “know so!” ~ I know Whom I have believed and am (fully) persuaded that He is able! ~ How is this possible? I (too) have a history with God. I (too) have a story to share.. Can I get a witness? Yes, please!
I (too) love to tell the story, His-story.
Yes, God is never in a hurry, but then -neither is He ever late. He will “show up” when He (alone) decides to and when we need Him to. This, (in the Greek) is the “Kairos moment”- it is the (blessed) moment when a man realizes and recognizes simply this: “God did that!” or “That, was God!” Yes, up close and personal (He is a personal Savior!) God “shows up,” – and that..- is a Kairos moment. A glorious glimpse of glory!
We must know and we must remember, there are two types of time! “Chronos” time and “kairos” time. It is good to know and it is good to remember this. There is “ordinary” life, and there is “extraordinary” life! What is the difference between the two? When God is realized, recognized, remembered and praised and worshiped – hmmm… “change happens”- (to put it mildly). According to His words (and this, is how we live our lives- “by the Book,”) for He has spoken- ~ “Where two or three are gathered together in My Name”.. (what?) Do you remember? I’ll help here, but it would be helpful (strengthening) for us to remember, – “There, “I AM” in the midst of them. Yes, God is there, for “God inhabits the praises of His people.”
The Kingdom of God is both “now” and “later.” Yes, God is Sovereign (My God is King) but not everyone knows this.. – (not yet!). Only a very select few know this and we (who belong to the “always Good Shepherd,” say, sing and (want to) shout, “HE LIVES!!”- But what does He say? Not now,- later. Wait. ~ My kingdom is not of this world ~ But there will come a time. Ahh.. but what do we say? We (who are His) say (and sing) “Come, -now is time for worship!” And.. until then, -my heart will go on singing! There is sonshine in my soul, today!
But we “see” only in part.. “through a glass.. darkly, dimly.” What Light through yonder window breaks? It is the Light of the world, the Light that gives light and life to every man! Fairest LORD Jesus!- Ruler of all nature and nations! -He is the ONE, – we need not “Look for another!” He is the mighty KIng, Master of everything..- and tHis Name is (??) – Wonderful! Jesus, -my LORD.
My gracious Master and my God assist “me” to proclaim, – to spread through all the earth abroad- the glories of Your Name. And why is this so?
(Only?) because.. (do you remember?) It is because there is (if we recall)- “there is only ONE Name that is above every name.” ~ Neither is there salvation in any other, for there is no other Name under Heaven given among men whereby we must be saved ~ (Acts 4.12)
Paul, -“you too?”
“Wherefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the LORD Jesus, and love unto all the saints, cease not to give thanks for you, and make mention of you in my PRAYERS, that the God of our LORD Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the KNOWLEDGE of Him: that the EYES of your UNDERSTANDING being enlightened; that you may KNOW what is the hope of His calling, and what is the RICHES of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the exceeding greatness of his POWER toward us who BELIEVE, according to the working of his MIGHTY POWER, which He wrought in Christ, when He raised Him from the dead, and set Him at his OWN right hand in Heavenly places, fAR ABOVE ALL principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and EVERY NAME that is NAMED, not only in this world, but ALSO in the world to come: and has put ALL THINGS UNDER His feet, and gave Him to be the head over all things to the church, which is HIS BODY, the FULNESS of Him that fills all in all.”
Oh, Paul! lol! It seems once you start (praying)- you just can’t get enough! lol! Yes, Hallelujah to the Lamb!
Fellow citizens of the kingdom, -Who has (already) conquered death and the grave? What is His Name? (Selah)
Who has already (thoroughly) trounced and defeated the Accuser of the brethren and the Archenemy of Adam’s race? What is His Name? (Selah)
“Selah”, – the pause that refreshes! His words? ~ Remember Me ~
~ The LORD will give strength unto His people; the LORD will bless His people with peace. (Psalms 29:11)
Outstanding article Skip! God is far more interested in the source of life we use, not just the results. Theres nothing quite like wasting to reveal and destroy the flesh.
Hi Skip, Just a small mistake I want to point out in second to last paragraph ” How would you fair?” Fair in this case/usage is spelled “fare”.
Excellent exhortation in this meditation. Keep it up!
Got it. Thanks.