Inspiring Phrases from 2 Peter: by God’s word

Inspiring Phrase: by God’s word

Context: 

Above all, you must understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires. They will say, “Where is this ‘coming’ he promised? Ever since our ancestors died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation.” But they deliberately forget that long ago by God’s word the heavens came into being and the earth was formed out of water and by water. By these waters also the world of that time was deluged and destroyed. By the same word the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire, being kept for the day of judgement and destruction of the ungodly.

But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. 2 Peter 3:3-9

My response:

There is much we do not understand. Much for people to question and doubt and mock about God. It has been ever thus.

How can there be a God with all this suffering in the world?

How can a loving God sit by and watch all this pain and anguish?

If your God is so amazing, then why is He not doing anything about the distress you are going through right now?

What is God up to, if there even is a God?

That kind of thing. We’ve all heard it, maybe even thought it ourselves. Jesus himself faced these taunts from the mockers and scoffers stood around watching him dying on the cross. He even expressed his own anguish by shouting out ‘My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?’

It’s generally in pain in suffering that the questions arise. It’s easy to trust in a benevolent God when everything is hunky dory, when all feels as it should be. But when faced with the suffering of innocents around the world and the good people we love suffer beyond what we can imagine, then understanding God’s ways and timing feel a massive challenge.

‘God works in mysterious ways.’

Isn’t that the truth? It can feel like a platitude and not easy to hear – probably not the right thing to say most of the time, but the truth is that God is way beyond our understanding. God’s ways are beyond our understanding. God’s timing is beyond our understanding. And why should that surprise us? He is God, after all.

This passage wrestles with these questions. Where is this God? What is He up to? Nothing has changed. Everything goes on the same.

The writer Peter points his readers to this truth: everything that happens happens by God’s word. It was by His Word that the world came into being. He said ‘Let there be light’ and there was light. He is capable of the greatest acts of creation and destruction. The whole of the natural world is in His hands and under His control. God knows what He’s doing. We don’t, but He does. He’s got this.

It may feel like He’s taking His time but His sense of time is different to ours. God sees it all in the context of eternity, where we tend to view life in the context of our one short life. So to God, a thousand years are like a day to us – not even as literally as that. Time as we know it has no meaning for God. God is not slow to respond, but is allowing time for everyone to respond to Him. Who knows how long that will take?

And so the only place of rest is to find a way to trust in God’s way and in His timing. To trust that God knows what He’s doing even when we don’t.

Which brings me to this song by Graham Kendrick from my teenage years, which states ‘In your way and in your time, that’s how it’s gonna be in my life’. Imagine if we could find a way to live fully in this way. That’s where the rest is. That’s where the comfort is. God has got the whole world in His hands. He’s got you and me, sister, in His hands. God know what He is doing.

Have a listen. It’s the last song on the album so starts at 41:30. Sit with it and see if this truth can speak into your situation right now.