November 16
Our Father God desires the best for His people in every area of life. We tend to count our blessings in the things we can touch, taste, spend. He does not. The Lord wants us to have sufficiency in all things, but He does not count ‘things’ as being our sufficiency.
In Isaiah 55:8, 9, He says, “My thoughts are not your thoughts; My ways are not your ways.” By extrapolation we may add to that, ‘My value system is not your value system.’ A casual survey of the condition of mankind evidences the fact that the Mighty One does not attach the same importance to abundance of temporal goods as does man.
If He did, why would He allow any believer to go to bed hungry? Why would the child of any person of faith be without a good education? Why would anyone who names the name that is above all names (see Philippians 2:8-11) lack an abundance of every good thing man covets? The Holy One certainly understands our needs and He certainly has the ability to supply them, but the order of the universe has been established and He rarely interferes with it.
But, why would revival not cover the earth and every lost, unbelieving soul be swept into the arc of safety before that great and terrible day of the Lord arrives? The fact is that He has tasked believers with the responsibility of “going into all the world and preaching the gospel to every creature,” Mark 16:15.
The fact that this is not happening is perhaps the reason Christ has not yet returned. We have been reticent to boldly proclaim Him. We fear persecution—whether that oppression takes the form of physical violence against us or mockery of our faith—so we are silent.
God wants to bless mankind with every good and perfect gift; He says in Nehemiah 9:20, “You sent Your good Spirit to instruct them. You did not withhold Your manna from their mouths.” God’s supply is complete, but man’s receptivity to it is sometimes negligible. Of us He says, “Ye have not because ye ask not,” Matthew 7:7.
When we fail to employ wisdom in our agricultural or business or governmental arenas, when we fail to ask wisdom of Him, He will not supersede our choices. When we turn our backs on temporal understanding or upon the truth of the eternal salvation He has provided through the Lamb who takes away the sin of the world, John 1:29, He will not force acceptance upon us.
May we not harden our hearts against the understanding of how things work in time so we may be wise and fruitful and subdue the earth as He has admonished us in Genesis 1:28. May we hearken to “the Spirit and the Bride who say, ‘Come!’” Revelation 22:17. May we be among those who hear and say ‘Come!’ For there is a price to pay—in time and in eternity—for our recalcitrance.
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