Walking a fine line here on earth in the great grace of Jesus Christ.

As we go through times of discipline, testing, trials, suffering, and joyful journey, I find that it is like walking through paradoxes.
He is disciplining but He is also strengthening.
I am making sin and a mess but He is making holy.
It is a trial but it is also a wonderful experience.
It is sorrowful but it also joyful.
I am doubtful but also His faith is so supportive.
It is not about me, but it is also about me.
It is always about Him but evil exists too.
It is suffering but it is peaceful.
It is open doors but it is closed doors.
It is a blessing but it is also a curse.
It is a gift given as well as gift to be taken away.
It is patience but it is hurrying.

Job experienced this from his point of view. The story started out with Satan coming to the LORD to afflict one of HIS servants. Job is selected but at the end of the Story Satan is totally out of the picture and it is Job who is being reconciled with God, the one he loved and served.

So here are some verses I find to be quite a paradox in my mind and somewhat mysterious, but I am fine with waiting on the full picture from our Lord in time (some of you may have the answers to this already and feel free to share with this one who is longing to trust His heavenly Father more today than I have ever yet.)

Isaiah 5:18-19 –
Woe to those who draw sin along with cords of deceit,
and wickedness as with cart ropes,
to those who say, “Let God hurry,
let him hasten his work
so we may see it.
Let it approach,
let the plan of the Holy One of Israel come,
so we may know it.”
Woe to those who call evil good
and good evil,
who put darkness for light
and light for darkness,
who put bitter for sweet
and sweet for bitter. (NIV)

Ps. 70:1 (David says}
Hasten, O God, to save me; O LORD, come quickly to help me. (NIV)

“Hasten. O God”?

We are talking about the God who created the heavens and the earth (the universe) in 6 days and we are saying to this God (who works faster than any imaginable being or known thing) “Hurry”, “Hasten”, “Quickly”.

How fast are we thinking or wanting?

As I go through days I smile inside when I think that maybe somehow this wonderful Great God and Savior should be asked to hurry. Am I sounding foolish in what I am trying to even imagine or explain?

All of this to say, a student in 7th grade this afternoon was reading Ps. 70 during their 10 minutes with the Lord and raised her hand to ask a personal question pointing to verse 1, “Mr. Redding, what does this mean – Hasten?” Thanks Amanda for the question and you have me thinking now for the rest of the day (which is so fitting in the rest of today’s context) – “Hasten God…?”

Praise the LORD for the One who can emphatically say, “I come quickly.” Rev. 22:20 - He who testifies to these things says, "Surely I am coming quickly." Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus! And we today echo what Rev. 22:20 says - “Amen, Even so (quickly), come, Lord Jesus!”