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"Can't Hardly Wait" Page 1  | 2 | 3
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Mike Slaughter  |
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 Why
is waiting so hard? It's human nature. Carolyn and I recently discussed
subscribing to a high-speed Internet connection service. She called
and it costs $45 per month. We've not signed up for it yet because that's
500 dollars per year more than basic cable. They can get by with charging
that because we can't stand to wait.We are all about getting
faster because we associate wasting with waiting.  This
is creating a new phenomenon in our culture. We demand fast food and
at the same time we want slow cooked taste. As people of God we are
called to not only be faithful but fruitful. To be wombs through which
God can birth God-life to other people. Babies don't come overnight.
Miracles grow. There is a time of waiting between the promise of God
and the birth of the baby.
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Luke 1:21 21: Meanwhile, the people were waiting for Zechariah and wondering why he stayed so long in the temple. |
We are in Luke 1:21. Zechariah
and his wife Elizabeth were faithful. They showed up every week at the
temple when they were expected to show up. They were participative when
they were asked to participate. They gave when they were asked to give.
They were faithful but they were barren. An angel of the Lord by the
name of Gabriel appeared to Zechariah when he was in the temple. Many
of us have heard God's voice when we come here and it's like one of
those 'Aha' moments God has for our life. But because he didn't believe
that God would do anything extraordinary through his life, he became
mute. He lost the power of his witness. Verse 21. "Meanwhile the people
were waiting for Zechariah in the parking lot and wondered at his delay.
"Hurry up! We are going out to eat. We're
gonna miss the 7:05 show." When he did come out, he could not speak
to them and they realized that he had seen a vision in the sanctuary.
He kept motioning to them and remained unable to speak. When his time
of service was ended, he went to his home."You've had that unexpected
moment. You've come to church. God showed up in a unique way. You heard
God's promise and then you had to go home. That's the way it works.
God showed up last weekend. We had a great worship celebration. I went
home Sunday afternoon, and I was down. This happens at other times in
my life, too. You come and you've had an experience of God and maybe
the next couple of days you go through a little time of depression.
What do you do when you have heard the promise of God and you still
don't see the baby? That in-between time, the time when you are waiting
for a miracle. I. Midwife Not a Magician  I am
really excited because God is teaching me a lot about faith, miracles,
and waiting. God is teaching me that God is a midwife, not a magician.
In a quick fix, fast food, immediate gratification, instant cure, right
now culture we can tend to look to God as a magician. Miracles are not
magic. Like pregnancies, miracles take time. Miracles grow. |
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