How Long??

Have you ever had a day when you looked over your situation, your struggles and your strife and said to yourself, "HOW LONG"? How long must I deal with this? How long must I put up with this job? How long will I remain broke? How long will God let this happen in my life? We all have had a HOW LONG day.

I am sure you work by, worship by and are woven next to people who never question, never doubt, always have good days, always are shouting, no heartache, no headache, no questions, only exclamation points but it is my contention we all have had a How long moment. Moses had one in the Wilderness, David had one in the 13th Psalm, Asaph expressed the sentiments in the 73rd Psalm, Habakkuk certainly had his day and even Jesus had his moment in Mark 9.

So we shouldn't be surprised or shocked when Job has his day. Tired of the sickness, stressed from the situation, annoyed by the UnBiblical sermons and all of the stuff he was facing, Job unloads in the 19th chapter vs 1 by saying HOW LONG?

How long is the grown up question that evolved from our childhood question, "Are we there yet"? When I make the journey from South Bend to OKC with my children, as long as the DVD is playing, food is available, something to play with or draw on, life is good. However, the moment the food is out, the DVD is over the question comes, Daddy, are we there yet?

Are we there yet is not a question that comes in the good times of life, its only when the fun is over. How long never shows up as long as you like what is taking place, it only comes on the hard days. How long is coming! Bind it, don't claim it, come against it, don't speak on it, it's still coming. Lay hands on it, pour oil on it, get the prayer cloth from the holy land that the television ministry said would get you your breakthrough, it's still coming.

Job says its constant. No whining, no being a wimp, but it is causing me 19:2-3
Despair- vex my soul
Destruction- breaking me into pieces
Disgrace- reproached me
Disaffection- made yourselves strange to me.

I have written too much but since it's coming, Is there Hope? Yes, here it is through Job's experience:

I. Concentrate on the Fact vs 25 "I Know Redeemer"
a. Stands for me
b. Speaks for me
c. Strengthens me
Job uses the word Ga'al when he says redeemer which means God is my vindicator. Job in his frustration, not being able to convince his friends of his innocence was leaving it in the hands of God to prove to them he was not guilty of the sin they accused him of He realized GOD HAS GOT HIS BACK.
II. Change your Focus "He will stand"
a. Look past your problem
b. Look at your possibilities
c. Look at God's provisions
Myopia is a disease that causes a visual defect in which distant objects appear blurred because their images are focused in front of the retina rather than on it; spiritually myopia is a disease that cause a lack of discernment or long-range thinking. It causes a focus on the sickness, not the healer, problem not provision, questions not the answerer, the burdens not the burden-bearer....
III. Celebrate Your Future,"Whom I will see for myself"
a. The battle is fought
b. The fight is fixed
c. I ain't finished.
Walter Hawkins penned the song "Don't wait until the Battle is over, Shout now because you know in the end you are going to win. The time has come for some shouting to take place in God's house for what is about to take place. It may not be here now, but it's on the way.

Owens