Are we responding on God’s timing?
There are many current events that people are expressing their thoughts on , on social media. The question on my heart over the last few days, as the Lord told me to be quiet and pray, are we still listening to the Lord? Are we responding in His timing or are we being immediately reactive?
Jesus’ life can be summed up by this verse:
John 5:19
19 Jesus therefore answered them, “Most certainly, I tell you, the Son can do nothing of himself, but what he sees the Father doing. For whatever things he does, these the Son also does likewise.
Are we taking time to pray about our responses? Are we heeding the Holy Spirit’s prompting in the matter?
I had this dream very early Sunday morning on 12/18/2022 and it became a teachable lesson .
A 2 liter soda was thrown across a kitchen floor. It busted and the soda spilled all over the floor. The bottle was picked up and maybe about 1/4 of the soda remained in the bottle. I cried as I saw the bottle.
The scene changed slightly , as if being shown another scenario of what could have happened. The soda was on the counter and there was no throwing of it across the floor. The soda fizzed and released like it should have when someone is getting a drink . No mess remained.
Immediately the dream ended , and the Lord spoke about anger.
The verse from James 1:19-20 came to mind:
19 So, then, my beloved brothers, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, and slow to anger; 20 for the anger of man doesn’t produce the righteousness of God.
He brought to mind these thoughts as well:
When we explode in anger, we may feel better temporarily because we have gotten what was bothering us off our chest and out. The feelings we had kept quiet about are known. But all the exploding in anger does is erupt on other people, like that soda on the floor. It must be cleaned up by someone , whether us ourselves or someone else. Soda is very sticky and can leave behind a sticky floor for others to step into if we do not clean it properly. We weep because we hurt others , either intentionally or not, and we may deal with the regrets and shame.
When we do not handle our anger properly, it effects others in different ways. Ask forgiveness quickly so relationships can be restored. Just like spilled soda can’t go back into the bottle, neither can we take back what has been spoken in anger. It’s not a sin to be angry, it becomes a sin when we do not handle the God given emotion properly. When we step away and breathe before responding, we are less likely to explode in anger and / or pain.
I encourage everyone if you struggle with anger talk about it with the Lord and see what triggers that response. We never know how deep the roots go, until we ask the One who saw and knows all the details of whatever past and present circumstances that may be causing the issue. God may be waiting on you to ask Him, so He can heal you one step at a time.
The Lord brought this abstract drawing to my mind. I am a not an artist by any means, as you can tell . When the Lord brought this odd drawing to my mind: I was thinking very colorful 3D shapes . Unfortunately, that is beyond my skill level. Just so what I was trying to convey is not lost, here is the explanation:
The paint splatters are our words. Why did I choose an ebony color? To show we have no clue how our words will affect someone else. The shapes to each face is how each person receives what is spoken. The faces are broken, because all people are broken / hurting /unhealed in some way. Healing can only come from the the Lord, the Only Healer, if we allow Him in on the process. Sometimes Truth can be received with gladness. Other times, are we speaking on God’s timing if we are taking time to lash out? Yes, Jesus turned tables, but He also spent a lot of time personally with the Father in prayer while on earth. How are your words affecting others? Are people sad or angry too? The last face I purposely gave a question mark mouth. As I drew it, I thought about people who see our constant boycotting and anger, and become angry/ depressed/ drained, hence the white part of the face. It overwhelms them so much, that if you try to share Truth in love after so long in hate and anger, that it may not reach them. This is why those shapes do not reach the face.
My thoughts have turned to the Christians in those jobs you are boycotting, are you taking the time to pray and ask the Lord to give them another job if they lose the one they have now? What if some Christians that is their call to be the light in the dark place, because others haven’t been willing to answer the call. God’s call doesn’t always make sense to the world, just like the prophets of old who were asked by God to do odd things. How are your words being received? Were you prompted by the Holy Spirit to speak, or are you speaking out of abundance of your own heart and emotions in the moment, adding to the division that the enemy thrives on?
Are we pausing and asking the Lord, for Him to give us the words to speak when tensions are high? One word spoken in timely manner , in God’s timing, is better than us running off our emotions for all to hear or read. It could be the difference of a softened heart toward the Gospel, or a harder heart against it. Check your words. Don’t let the enemy get you so focused on current events, that you forget about sharing about Jesus. Some of your friends may be feeling very drained by social media debates, I know I am. It’s depressing after a while, because debates rarely end with a conversion to the Lord. It’s often endless arguing, and words not spoken in the proper way, with the Lord’s heart in mind . He desires NONE should perish and we shouldn’t desire to see anyone go to Hell.
Jesus’ words were seasoned with Grace and Truth, even when it wasn’t popular with the crowd, because He spent as much time in fellowship and prayer with the Father as doing Father’s Will. Maybe more so, because we only have a record of roughly three years of public ministry, versus eighteen years of growing up in silence. Don’t forget timing matters, preparation matters, and ultimately obedience matters.
Are you seeking the Lord even in seemingly small things of life, of how and when to speak or act? Jesus did and it impacted the world. We shall give an account one day, for our words and behavior, let’s make sure we aren’t adding fire to the flames, adding deeper division, all because we spoke when we should have kept quiet and prayed.
*All Scripture is from the World English Bible
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