How much longer, Lord . . .

I’m sorry for the blackout of information ... we’ve been busy ... but not too busy. I’ve been tired ... but not too tired. Frankly, I just haven’t had much to say and haven’t felt much like talking. Ever have that type of day? How about weeks? months? years? I’m just tired of talking, so I tried listening ... but listening takes patience and somewhere in the darkness, I decided that waiting is over-rated. I’ve been waiting on the Lord for a lot of things ... believing ... expecting ... and where am I? Still waiting. How long am I suppose to wait? When have I waited long enough?

Tonight, I turned on a movie while I was folding laundry ... The 2nd installment of Chronicles of Narnia - Prince Caspian. The kids were finally in bed and it was really too late to start a movie, but I need to return it tomorrow, so I just turned it on. To be honest, I wasn’t really in the mood for it, but part of me (probably the cheap part of me) didn’t want to return the movie unseen. How many of you know that God can move through ALL parts of your personality, including cheapness! What an awesome movie! I am so thankful my Jesus knows when I’ve sat in the darkness long enough and knows which Light to turn on ... the one that will not cause me to turn away, but instead the one that allows my eyes to open easily.

The movie was exactly what I needed to see ... to hear again that Aslan is on the move! For those who have been walking along side us for a while, you may remember that phrase, ‘Aslan is on the move’ ... it’s where our theme ‘God is on the Move’ came from, originating from the Narnia movies. The first movie is so full of symbolism and so much of it spoke to me throughout our walk last year, especially when we received our Easter miracle. I can not express what it felt like when God revealed to us that it was Jesus who took David’s place last year, when he was healed and able to come home ... in the movie, it is Aslan who gives His life in exchange for Edmond’s freedom, as we are reminded of our need for a Savior ... as the wages of sin is death.

In this second movie, the story was not at all what I expected ... The kids find themselves called back to Narnia only to find that the peace and happiness they left (accidentally), is no longer ... As a matter-of-fact, what has been just a year gone by in their ‘real lives’, has been centuries past in Narnia ... They find that all they knew and loved is long gone and they are only remembered as legends ... myths, really. They actually have to fight to remember if any of it was real, themselves. Throughout the movie, little Lucy keeps looking for, and from time-to-time catches glimpses of Aslan in the landscape ... but no one else sees Him and often scoffs as if He is not real, either ... ‘He has long abandoned Narnia’ is the comment more than once ... ‘Where is this Aslan of yours’ ...

I’m hearing that question a lot in my head these days, ‘Where is your God?’ It’s a good question and one that I’ve had trouble answering ...

Lucy cries out ‘I’m not crazy! I saw Him!’ ... familiar words once again. What to do with the question, ‘Where is your God?’ I know I’m not crazy! I know what I heard! I know what I saw! Where is my God? How long do I wait for the answer?

As the movie goes on, King Peter grows restless in the injustice that has grown in ‘his’ Narnia ... He buys into the lie that (1) it is HIS Narnia and (2) that if he had not left it, it would still be a place of peace because after all he was the one who brought peace to the land before, he can do it again. Little Lucy reminds him to remember that it was Aslan who defeated the witch, not him ... and Peter answers, ‘I think we’ve waited quite long enough for Aslan.’

With that comment, Peter leads the Narnians into war and they are defeated horribly ... bruised and beaten, some are wounded ... many are dead. But it is not over as now the enemy comes full force against them, knowing their numbers are reduced ... as they discuss ‘the plan’, little Lucy reminds them their only hope is in Aslan ... and FINALLY they agree and send her out to find him.

Isn’t it just like us to be in our darkest hour ... bruised and beaten, wounded ... and many of the people we know ... friends, friends of friends, and even family are dead and/or dying ... and EVEN THEN, we still think we have a plan that is better than His ... When will we get it that there IS NO PLAN better than His? I’ve got no plan. You’ve got no plan. We’ve got no plan. Nothing. We need to seek Him desperately and call out for Him to come and help us!

As Lucy rides for her life, ASLAN FINDS HER (by this time, I’m bawling) ... He finds her ... He was never far, but yet he allowed them to be defeated ... He allows her to ride quite a distance, being chased by the enemy ... but just as they got close enough, Aslan makes his move ... At first, it seemed like He might not have been himself and was actually going to attack Lucy, but instead He jumps over her head to take out the enemy as they were about to take her down. As she recovers from what just happened, she tentatively approaches him not sure she can trust him ... but as she realizes it IS HIM, she runs to Him and cries out ‘Oh Aslan, I knew it was you all along!’ and He says, ‘Why didn’t you come looking for me sooner, child?’ She responds, ‘No one believed me, but I knew it was you’ ... and He says, ‘Why should that have made a difference, Jill?’ ... Little Jill thought for a minute and says ‘Oh Aslan ... I am so sorry, please forgive me.’

How long do we wait? How long is too long? Friends, we wait until He comes. Period. He IS coming. He IS doing a NEW thing and while that might cause us to not recognize Him, it IS HIM! Our only role is to seek Him with all that we are and all that we have ... and then wait for Him to come. All along I’m thinking there’s something I’ve done or could do to make Him come faster, to fix things, to heal hearts, to make things right, to make sense of this world that makes no sense ... but it is HE that must do the work ... if there has been anything that has been me in the past, it is only because He has allowed me to be a part of HIS WORK ... all we can do is be ready for when He’s ready to move again. His character is to never leave us. His character is to never do nothing. While He often seems to wait until the very last minute, it is in those last minutes that we fully realize our need for Him so that IN THAT NEED, He is fulfilled. It is the NEED for Him that is glorifying, not our actions or words ... We simply have nothing else to offer Him that would even come close to how great our need is. While we may suffer anxiety as we are chased by the enemy in search to find Him, He is never but one leap away ... We may question if we see Him along the way ... but why should that matter? Don't let that keep us from seeking Him ... we know who He is ... we know He is coming ... and one thing guaranteed ... He is worth the wait!

HE IS COMING, Friends ... He is.
Come Lord Jesus, Come!


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