At The Right Time, He Will Act

 

He looked down on the people of Israel and knew it was time to act.” (Exodus 2:25)

How does God determine when it is time to act?

In this case, the Lord heard the cry of His people and His heart went out to them. Another translation said that he was concerned about them. So just like a good parent who sees their child in need, the Lord intervenes sometimes because we have a need. He sees us struggling and suffering and, out of his mercy, he steps in to correct the situation. He is a God of compassion and mercy.

Isaiah 30:18 says, “Therefore the Lord longs to be gracious to you, And therefore He waits on high to have compassion on you. For the Lord is a God of justice; How blessed are all those who long for Him.”

As this verse mentions, somewhat similarly, the Lord acts out of justice when He sees injustice is done. Micah 6:8 says, “He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.” He certainly would not ask us to do something that He does not practice Himself. He is a God of justice. Psalm 9:8 says that “He will execute judgment for the peoples with equity.”

In executing justice, there is a parable in the Bible about a persistent woman who asks an unjust judge for help. Because she continues to petition him and not leave him alone, he finally gives her justice. Then He asks, “And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly.” In this, He was saying that persistence in asking in prayer gets action.

He goes on to ask if He will find faith when He returns as it takes faith to ask and be persistent. This brings me to the next one, the Lord promises that faith the size of a mustard seed will bring action on His part. Over and over in the gospels, the Lord points out faith as it relates to miracles being performed. He even promises that faith makes one whole or well. Faith is more than confessing belief. It is acting on belief and moving towards it boldly without doubt. Often, it involves risk and stepping out beyond where one is comfortable like Peter who stepped out on the water or the Centurion who pleaded with Jesus an (Israelite) to heal his servant.

Along these lines, there needs to be an earnestness and diligence in seeking Him out to act on our behalf. He is a rewarder of those who seek Him diligently. Hebrews 11:6 says, “And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.” Earnestness is not passive or apathetic but a wholehearted determination to obtain an answer. Our choices need to align with this truth.

Other times that God has acted have been because of the sacrifice made. Stephan is an example of this as he gave his last message before he was stoned to death. While the Lord did not prevent this from happening, heavens opened and He stood at the right hand of His Father.

Also, we see lavish giving in the Old Testament as a means to honor God and bring about action. However, a sacrifice was not received when it was manipulative as a means to get God to act and did not come from the heart. God responds powerfully to a sacrifice that is given from the heart. We see this with the end of the plague when David purchased the threshing floor and refused to offer God something that didn't cost him. It was a generous and fragrant offering that stopped the plague from proceeding to take lives.

In addition to generous giving, God promises that our tithing will bring His blessing in our lives. As we set aside a portion of all we have to the Lord on a regular basis, we see that God sets aside blessing for us that abounds beyond this. Micah 3:10 says, “Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,” says the Lord Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it.”

We see God also acting when His purposes are blocked in someone’s life. For instance, when Peter and the other disciples were arrested and thrown in jail, the Lord sent an angel to get them out so that they could fulfill His purposes. He opened the prison doors and set them free to be able to proclaim the good news with boldness.

Additionally, the Lord acts often from a heart of praise. He is enthroned upon our praises which implies that as King, He is ruling and acting. When God acted and the walls of Jericho came down, it was in the midst of the people encircling the place seven times while praising the Lord. And often victories in the Old Testament against great odds, came about in the midst of praise. Praise changes us and it also often gives us a breakthrough in the situation. We see this with Paul and Silas in Prison. They praise the Lord and the whole prison is shaken and everyone is set free. From this, even the prison guard comes to know Jesus. Praised turned a desperate and dire situation to a glorious ending.

A surrendered heart is one that God acts upon. We see this with salvation. When we come to know the Lord, we surrender our hearts to Him. We relinquish control over our lives and lift Him up as enthroned over all that concerns us. Job 11:13-15 says, “Surrender your heart to God, turn to him in prayer, and give up your sins— even those you do in secret. Then you won't be ashamed; you will be confident and fearless.

Finally, acting in unity out of love for Jesus and each other moves the heart of God. We see this with the 120 disciples that got together and prayed. When they came into full unity, God moved and poured out His Holy Spirit upon them. Included in this was also obedience and faith. There were 500 told to come together and only 120 believed and obeyed without making excuses. These were the ones that God poured His Spirit upon.

Another similar question is, when does God not act or refrain Himself from acting on our behalf?

Pride and self-sufficiency is one thing that can keep us from connecting with God in prayer and Him acting on our behalf. The promise goes, if My people called by My name will humble themselves and pray, I will act and heal their land. It all starts with humbling ourselves. When we are self-sufficient and making our own way, like Job, it may keep Him from acting on our behalf until we repent. Pride keeps us at a further distance from God.

Similarly, hard-heartedness can keep our prayers from being answered. He often would say that people would honor Him with their lips but not in their heart. Also, in trying to manipulate Him rather than genuinely honor Him. In Isaiah 58, the people of God were seeking Him out and fasting, but they were living in a way that was oppositional to His Kingdom.

Lack of praying all together will also keep us from the wonderful things that God has for us. When we lack prayer in our life, we genuinely lack faith. A prayerless life says that we do not trust or believe Him to act on our behalf.

Just as faith can move mountains, the opposite is doubt. When we are double-minded and waiver or we are full of doubt, we will not see God move on our behalf. It was because of the lack of belief that the Lord could not do many miracles. James 1:6-7 says, “But he must ask in faith, without doubting, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That man should not expect to receive anything from the Lord.”

We also know that apathy and half-heartedness is not honored by the Lord. When Cain and Able offered sacrifices to the Lord at the very beginning, we see that Cain became jealous of Able because Cain offered a leftover sacrifice rather than the best he had to offer. And we know from Revelation that those who are neither hot nor cold, but merely apathetic, the Lord says He will spew them out. When we just give God what is left or treat Him like a sentimental rag doll we drag along with us, we will lack His blessing and action.

In the same way, often apathy is rooted in a lack of the fear of the Lord. It says that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. Without fear of the Lord, we will operate with a lack of reverence. We see this with Uzzah trying to steady the Ark. He was struck down. Also, we see with Ananias and Sapphira that they were struck dead for their lying to the Holy Spirit. While this is not inaction, it is not the action that they were hoping for.

Quenching the Holy Spirit by acting out of trying to control Him will result in His unresponsiveness or inaction. Also, grieving the Holy Spirit, opposite of acting in unity and love, by acting in harshness towards others and a spirit of discord will cause the Lord to not act on one’s behalf. He is a God of Peace and His Spirit will not rest in places of harshness, cruelty, and inconsideration of others.

Additionally, God does not act and give us favor in grumbling and complaining. It was grumbling and complaining that kept the people of God wondering around in the wilderness for much longer than they needed to. They would have been advanced so much quicker if they had learned to praise. And then when they saw the promised land, instead of believing in faith, they resorted again to grumbling out of fear and disbelief. It kept them completely out of the land God had for them.

In the same way that generosity and sacrifice move God’s heart to action, selfishness and a lack of sacrifice can keep us from experiencing His power in our lives. Micah 3:7, the Lord addresses His people as being in lack. He says to them, “Ever since the time of your ancestors you have turned away from my decrees and have not kept them. Return to me, and I will return to you,” says the Lord Almighty.” He goes on to tell them in Micah 3:9 that they are under a curse because of their lack of offerings and tithes.

When Jesus came to the temple, He was angry as He took a cord to chase away the sellers of product and turned over tables. He said that His house was to be a house of prayer (asking Him for help) when these had turned it into a den of thieves (looking to make their own profit and benefit). There was greed in their hearts. And just as giving generously pleases the Lord and has a sweet aroma that result often in action, greed and selfishness lead to His inaction on one’s behalf.

This brings me to the last point, unrepentant sin will keep us out of the promises of God. God does not honor us in our sin. When we willfully sin and are not repentant about it, we forfeit His goodness in our lives and open the door to things that may even cause our harm. As Adam and Eve ate the apple and it resulted in their spiritual death, sin and compromising bring death to our souls and spirits. As righteousness brings a flourishing and blessing all around us, unrighteous living brings a curse into our lives.

Lord, where would we be without Your love? I can see where saying something in faith but lacking the belief has held me back from living into Your promises. We desire to live in the fullness of Your promises and blessings. Help us to live in the fullness of Your promises by being full of reverence, love for others, faith, praise and surrender among all the other ways we can glorify You. Not because we want something, but because You are worthy of our all and our best.