Slow?

Is God Slow?

How long do we wait? Oh, were we waiting? Have you ever had someone tell you that you were as slow as Christmas? If you were waiting for your annual pair of shoes that would come to you as a Christmas gift, Christmas could be slow in coming.
If we lived in a place where there was oppression, maybe we would cry out to God that he would bring his justice to bear. If we lived in a place where people could trap you with easy credit…or if we lived in a land that cultivated your dissatisfaction, that always encouraging you to want more, to need more. If you lived in a world where the pressure was mounting all the time, and you felt behind, less than, small…. Or if you found your self in a bind where you could just die. You might cry out for God to hurry. “Make things right, Lord!”
Why doesn’t God jump in to set things right in Rwanda, in Darfur where genocide is still going on? Why does God not keep children from suffering abuse from their parents hands? And why is living and dying so difficult? From managing finances, to families, to the daily grind…life is sweet…and difficult.We want justice in the world. I really think we do. But we are hesitant about justice for ourselves. That is what I think this text is about. Justice. When will we get it? What is God’s answer?Justice is coming. God will make things right. You might want to take the opportunity of the mean time to make every effort.He is patient with you. Our Lord’s patience means salvation.

2 Peter 3:8-15 (NIV) 8 But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. 9 The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. 10 But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare. 11 Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives 12 as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming. That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat. 13 But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness. 14 So then, dear friends, since you are looking forward to this, make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with him. 15 Bear in mind that our Lord's patience means salvation.

Have you ever wondered why you were not instantly destroyed when you did what was wrong? People think that since God is slow, since no lightning strikes them dead, that God does not care.
What a terrible day it will be! It will be frightening to see the heavens disappear with a roar, the elements melt and the earth laid bare. It is like any of the great catastrophes. What matters to you in moments like that? When you have to pack the car to run from a hurricane. We thought about what was important. What if we were not coming back? It was interesting what some of you saw when you were on the road from Hurricane Rita. People were demonstrating their real character. Some were so helpful and gracious. Some were selfish, desperate, and thoughtless. Some tossed garbage as they went. Some cared for those in distress.

This passage of Scripture is telling us something. The most important things are not things. When all of this burns up, we will hardly notice. God is promising a new heaven and a new earth. God is promising a home for righteousness. The Home of Righteousness. Heaven.
Hebrews 12:22-23 (NRSV) 22 But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable angels in festal gathering, 23 and to the assembly of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God the judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect,

You Have Come!
It is coming. What kind of people will you be?
Holy. Godly. Does that sound boring? It means loving, joyful, peaceful, patient and kind. It means living in imitation of the character of God. It means living for justice for those who are being treated unjustly. It is welcoming the stranger. It is generosity. It is caring. About people. About animals. About creation. And it is about patience.