Kingdom Tempo

"Sing praises to the LORD, O you his saints,

and give thanks to his holy name.

For his anger is but for a moment,

and his favor is for a lifetime.

Weeping may tarry for the night,

but joy comes with the morning."

Psalm 30:4-5 ESV

I have found that I tend to expect life to go at a certain pace and have learned through experience to see things with warped insight.  For example, I hate to suffer and don't like seeing others hurt but life has dealt so many blows that I expect misery to remain like a faithful friend.  Likewise, anger tends to linger in my own heart, coloring my perspective and sucking the life out of me like a deadly leach.  Furthermore, if I look deep within, I find that I expect rejection and ill-treatment as a way of life because of my own depravity: I know it's what I truly deserve.

God, however, does not operate according to my faulty expectations.  He has His own timing that reflects His perfect character.  Because of this, I must look to His Word to learn the superior tempo to which God marches.

His Anger.  It's hard for me to shake it.  When I'm hurt, offended or sense my boundaries being crossed, it rises up within me, overwhelming my entire being like an unwelcome tenant.  If things go differently than the way I hope they will turn out, it revives from it's latent state, always present though lying dormant.

Anger.  I sometimes feel like Dr. Bruce Banner, the alter ego to the Marvel superhero Hulk.  He says his secret of transformation into the wrathful green beast is that he's always angry, that the rage is simmering just below the surface, ready to erupt at any time.  I can relate.  Because of this fleshly trait of mine, I expect God to be the same way, thinking that He's always ticked off but just holding it back for the sake of all of mankind.

In reality, scripture tells me that God's fury passes, He never keeps angry or holds a grudge against me (Psalm 103:9, Isaiah 26:20).  As a result, I can give thanks for such a God as this.  Even though He has every right to be angry due to my inability to adhere to his commands and my tendency to stray away from Him, He doesn't hold onto that righteous wrath in the same way I do.  

I can breathe easy because God's anger is but for a moment.

His Favor.  I am stingy with my praise and kindness.  I tend to only give something good to those I feel deserve it.  In fact, as a parent bringing up four girls, I often focused on what needed to be improved and had to intentionally work at giving positive affirmation for what they were doing well, otherwise I'd have been a harsh taskmaster.

Because of my flawed way of doling out approval and help to others, I tend to think God is the same way, expecting me to earn His favor.  Instead, God freely indulges me with His lovingkindness, giving me so much that I don't deserve.  His character is merciful and gracious and He loves to give me good things that I haven't earned, as a Father who enjoys making his child smile.

As hard as it is for me to fathom, this favor lasts forever.  Since it's based on His character and is not founded on a whim, it is not wishy-washy, sometimes there and other times not.  I can count on God to pour His lovingkindness into my life because of His dependability.

Therefore, there is nothing I can do to lose His favor (Romans 8:38-39).  I won't wake up one day finding myself on the outside looking in because God has lost His patience with me and abandoned me in disgust.  Because of what Jesus Christ has done for me in dying on the cross, I am securely in His good graces, the recipient of His lavish love (1 John 3:1).

I can breathe easy because God's favor lasts a lifetime.

His promise.  As hard as it is to go through something difficult in life, it is even more of a challenge to watch the ones I love endure hardship.  The suffering that ensues makes me want to rescue them from the hurt.  Instead, I can keep God's faithful promise in mind: Joy will come in the morning.

While this life here on earth can be hard to bear, what I have to look forward to in eternity through faith in Jesus Christ is beyond compare.  I cannot fathom the riches of glory that await me there, produced by all that I endure in this wicked world (2 Corinthians 4:17, Romans 8:17-18).  Therefore, I know suffering in this life is temporary and not in vain.

I can breathe easy because God's promise of coming glory can be trusted.

I am forever thankful that God does not live up to my puny and warped expectations.  Instead, He has His own agenda that is much superior to my own outlook on life.  While my anger seems to simmer just below the surface, God's is short-lived.  Even though I don't think I am worth many gifts, God's love compels Him to bestow His permanent favor upon me.  And while suffering seems to be a way of life here on earth, it is temporary: I can expect joy that will blow my socks off in the life to come!  This is God's superior sense of rhythm that rules the ebb and flow of my life of faith.  This is His kingdom tempo.

As I begin this day it is my prayer that I can trust God's unique tempo, letting Him run my life according to His own pace.

How do I trust in my own sense of warped timing, assuming God will operate according to what I expect? 

When do I think God will give me what I deserve instead of what He desires to lavish on me through Jesus?