How fickle we humans are, how quick to doubt when it seems that the Lord is slow to act or has delayed in fulfilling his promises. I was reminded of this as I was reading in Exodus recently. When Moses was sent back from Midian to Egypt and he and Aaron first told the Israelites what God had said, their first response was one of worship and belief. The Lord had seen their misery and heard their cries, and had sent a deliverer. (Exodus 4:31) Just a few verses later, when Pharoah, in the hardness of his heart, refused to let God’s people go and forced them to make bricks without straw, they called on God to judge Moses and accused him – and by extension, God, who sent him – of helping Pharaoh kill them. (Ex. 5:20-21)
We see that pattern continue. Even after the Lord parted the sea, led them through on dry land, and destroyed the Egyptians in their wake; even as he led them via a cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night; even as their clothes did not wear out on their entire journey; even as he miraculously fed them, they still complained and doubted and longed to return to the “safety” of slavery. How quickly they doubted, despite all signs confirming his care, when they were thirsty. Yet he always – always – provided water, food, and guidance, however unlikely the source.
Let’s not judge them too harshly though. Are we not more like those doubting Israelites than we may want to admit? When life doesn’t go our way, are we not swift to question his sovereignty, even privately? When justice seems far from achievable in this lifetime, do we second-guess the Lord’s ability to see and hear and act? Surely I’m not the only one tempted to doubt his faithfulness when his timing doesn’t match my ideas of perfection. Perhaps that’s a part of what Paul meant when he says that we walk by faith, not by sight. (2 Corinthians 5:7)
As I wait, with varying degrees of patience, for the Lord to act in particular areas of my life and answer certain prayers, I was encouraged by the prophet Habakkuk. When Habakkuk asked God if he was going to handle iniquity and injustice, the Lord’s response was that even if he knew God’s plan, Habakkuk would not believe it. Then God proceeded to reveal to his messenger just who he was going to use as his avenger of wrongdoing. Habakkuk then said that he would stand at his watchpost and wait and see, and the Lord told him that the fulfillment of his plans “awaits its appointed time; it hastens to the end–it will not lie. If it seems slow, wait for it; it will surely come; it will not delay.” What the Lord promises always comes to pass. His word assures us of that. History, both biblical and secular, experientially demonstrates that. Hold on to that first response of gratitude and belief, and when you’re tempted to doubt – even when you’ve given in to that temptation – cling to the truth of his word and the steadfastness of his character.