Many cultures thrive on foods that ferment for months or sometimes years. For foods like kimchi, sauerkraut, kefir, even a great wine or fine cheese, time is a critical factor. The tastiest, and many times most beneficial for our health take TIME. And those who have learned to appreciate it are blessed.
These days it has become conventional wisdom to comment on (or complain about) our culture of instant gratification. Yet in this deteriorating world situation the question, "How long O Lord?" is becoming more understandable each passing day. The biblical prophet Habakkuk issued a deeply resonant heart-cry:
“O LORD, how long shall I cry for help, and you will not hear? Or cry to you 'Violence!' and you will not save? Why do you make me see iniquity, and why do you idly look at wrong? Destruction and violence are before me; strife and contention arise. So the law is paralyzed, and justice never goes forth. For the wicked surround the righteous; so justice goes forth perverted. ” [Hab.1:2-4]
God's timing was the prophet's complaint...."Too long, LORD!" In his day, the destruction of the Northern Kingdom of Israel had already taken place. And in just a few short years the Babylonian invasion and the destruction of the Temple would follow. Yet witnessing the wickedness of his own people in their generation Habbakuk agonizes, “How long O Lord? Evil abounds! Where is your righteous judgment?"
Here is God’s response to Habbakuk... and I love this: “Look among the nations, and see; wonder and be astounded. For I am doing a work in your days that you would not believe if told.” [Hab. 1:5]
"Joseph was sold as a slave. They afflicted his feet with fetters, he himself was laid in irons, until the time of his word came to pass"; [Ps. 105:18-19]. And, "The end of a matter is better than its beginning. Patience of spirit is better than haughtiness of spirit; [Ecclesiastes 7:8]. He has made everything beautiful in its time"; [Ecclesiastes 3:11].
Yes, things look bleak. Yes, evil is rampant. But God is doing a work. He is not surprised by what is happening. He is not panicking or trying to figure out what to do next. He has had a purpose and plan and has been preparing it from the beginning of time. And in the end, it will be perfection.
Copyright 1999-2026 Worthy Devotions. This devotional was originally published on Worthy Devotions and was reproduced with permission.
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[worthy_plugins_devotion_single_body]As Joshua is about to enter the promised land, God reassures him and affirms the promise that was given to Moses, saying, “Wherever you place your feet – it shall be given to you!” God reveals His will, makes an amazing promise, then gives His servant a practical principle for working the promise out and claiming it, telling Joshua to literally step into His will. This is true for every believer. Our mandate is to know, understand and step out into the will of God. How can we know God’s will?”
The world loves the extraordinary, the spectacular. It relishes on the big, bright, grand and expensive. I remember when we traveled through Las Vegas years ago, to speak at a church in Carson City. Uyy! The lights, the size of everything -- crazy! But all I could think as we rolled down Sunset Strip was how sad it is that this is what the world finds extraordinary. The bigger, the brighter, the more expensive -- the more the world worships it.
Since my wife and I just celebrated our 7,000-day wedding anniversary, it reminded me of when my wife and I were initially married in Jerusalem -- before our major wedding in the States.
When Yeshua (Jesus) was attacked by Satan during His temptation in the wilderness, He countered every attack with the Word of God. But notice in Satan’s second attack – the enemy himself quoted the Scriptures, saying, “If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down, for it is written, ‘He shall give his angels charge over thee, and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone.’” (Matthew 4:6 was a quote from Psalm 91:11, but the phrase, “to keep thee in all thy ways” was absent from Satan’s quote).
Over the past week, the world has experienced some severe birth pangs. If you’ve been reading Worthy News, you’ve read the situation in Ukraine has intensifed with the Russians massing their troops along the border with the West condemning the referendum taking this weekend in Crimea. In Israel, scores of rockets were fired out of the Gaza Strip and rockets continue to be fired despite a "ceasefire". The Iranians continue to threaten the destruction of Israel as an Iranian Revolutionary Guard commander stated, "Islam has given us this wish, capacity and power to destroy the Zionist regime so that our hands will remain on the trigger from 1,400km away for the day when such an incident (confrontation with Israel) takes place." Wars and rumors of wars embrace the headlines! The world is on the brink of going over the edge!
In Israel, it’s amazing how many trees are being planted all the time. In fact, the green line that you hear about so much in the news isn’t an actual drawn borderline, but it is a visible line you can only see from the air. It’s where Israelis stopped planting trees.
Laodicea was known for its Temple dedicated to Asklepios, worshiped as the god of medicine, and associated with a renowned medical school. Most historians believe that the school developed a medicine known as Phrygian power which was used to produce eye salve.