God's Help IS Coming (On HIS Schedule, Not Yours)

Nehemiah 2:6-9 " The king, with the queen sitting beside him, asked, 'How long will you be gone? When will you return?' After I told him how long I would be gone, the king agreed to my request.  I also said to the king, 'If it please the king, let me have letters addressed to the governors of the province west of the Euphrates River, instructing them to let me travel safely through their territories on my way to Judah.  And please give me a letter addressed to Asaph, the manager of the king's forest, instructing him to give me timber. I will need it to make beams for the gates of the Temple fortress, for the city walls, and for a house for myself.'  And the king granted these requests, because the gracious hand of God was on me. When I came to the governors of the province west of the Euphrates River, I delivered the king's letters to them. The king, I should add, had sent along army officers and horsemen to protect me."  NLT

Many times in Scripture a few short verses will cover a long period of time.  It might be weeks, months, or even years.  As I was reading through Nehemiah this morning, this observation made me realize that although I am quite anxious for the Lord to come through and deliver me from my own difficulties, He is looking at it from the long-term viewpoint.  He is helping.  He has sent help.  He is on the way.  It just doesn't arrive on my expected schedule.

Have you ever read a book that was so good that you eventually picked it up and read it again?  It's very rare for me to do this, but it has happened a time or two.

I once read an adventure story that was quite interesting and engaging.  I eventually picked it up and read it a second time.  On the second read, I noticed lots of things that I didn't see the first time.  During the first reading, I was so anxious to see how it turned out that I missed some details the author had included that truly enhanced the story.  As I read it back through much more slowly, these tasty nuggets added a whole new flavor to the story, making it even more enthralling than it had been the first time through.

Think about it:  that's how God views our lives.  He knows how it's going to turn out.  He knows that in the end He delivers, we win, and everything's ok.  So he's enjoying the nuggets of the many details of our growth and maturing process along the way, thoroughly tasting and reveling in every minute part.

So, be patient, and learn to enjoy the journey of your own life's story.  Enjoy the moment.  Cherish all your relationships.  Have some fun along the way.  Smell the roses. Before you know it, it'll be over, and you'll wish you had...

Your Servant,

Steve


Steve is author of a book featuring an in-depth study of heaven called, "My search for the Real Heaven." It's available @ Amazon.com and on His www.PrayerThoughts.com web site.