We are sometimes irritated by the delay God takes in answering our prayers. But have we considered that sometimes, we are the ones making Him wait when He calls us? Sacrificial love also means responding to God without further delay.
You have certainly experienced this situation, whether with one of your children or with a colleague at work. You need help or attention with something, and you ask them to see you. “Okay, just let me finish this…” And sometimes, it’s perfectly legitimate; the child has to reach a save point in their game, or they’ll lose their progress. Or our colleague has to finish writing their paragraph, or they’ll lose their inspiration. But sometimes, we wait a long time. “Are you coming?” “Yes, yes, I’m coming.” But we wait some more, and more… Sometimes, our child or colleague isn’t there at the right time for us, or doesn’t come at all. They agreed to come to our aid, but their delay is so long that their help is no longer useful.
Have you ever considered that we often act the same way toward God? Even Jesus spoke about it. “Then He said to another, “Follow Me.” But he said, “Lord, let me first go and bury my father.” Jesus said to him, “Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and preach the kingdom of God.” And another also said, “Lord, I will follow You, but let me first go and bid them farewell who are at my house.” But Jesus said to him, “No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.” (Luke 9:59-62 NKJV). These are very good reasons to say, “Just let me do this, and I’ll be right there!” But these seemingly legitimate delays are unacceptable in the face of our mission to grow the Kingdom of God.
You had planned to spend some time in prayer this morning, and you feel the joy of the Holy Spirit spending time with you. “I’ll just finish this, and then I’ll be right there, Lord.” It’s ironic, because we add the word “Lord” to our response, whereas if we make Him wait, we definitely haven’t given Him the role of Lord in our lives. Or perhaps our sister in Christ is going through a difficult time emotionally, and we dismiss the idea of visiting her because we don’t want to change our plans. We send her a short message saying we’ll pray for her… as soon as we finish this or that. Perhaps it’s for situations like this that Jesus said, “By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us. And we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren” (1 John 3:16 NKJV).
Giving our lives to God or investing in the lives of our brothers and sisters doesn’t mean we no longer have a life of our own, or that we don’t have the right to have plans or goals. It’s not about exhausting ourselves by giving all our resources to others. It’s simply about responding to God’s call when He invites us to follow Him. It’s about prioritizing His priorities. Because when God asks us to answer His call, it’s not to overburden us or denigrate our own plans. Sometimes, God will ask for our attention to teach us a truth that will make us more productive afterward. Sometimes, God will call us into His presence simply to force us to rest. How many times have we answered God, “Yes, yes, I’m coming,” but without truly changing our plans?
Many single people hope to find a life partner, believing that their lives will be more pleasant and easier. But marriage is about putting into practice the idea of sacrificial love described in 1 John 3:16. So, what better way for single people who desire marriage to practice responding to God’s sacrificial call during their singleness! Who knows, perhaps God is calling you into His presence to lead you to a charming single person? Remain attentive to Him, and above all, don’t keep Him waiting when He invites you to follow Him.