The Ballestero Blog

Surviving The Delay

I hate delays. There seems to be very little humor in sitting dead still in traffic waiting for an hour or two. Accidents, Construction, and Gaper’s Delays always happen at a bad time for me, and everyone else for that matter. I keep checking for turn-a-rounds and exit ramps, but without much success.

As a frequent flier, I have sat in a hot plane on the tarmac, away from the gate, during the summertime. With no air conditioning working, the plane soon heated up to over 100 degrees and several passengers panicked in their desperation. I feared that in their claustrophobia the person next to me might try to open the plane’s door and thereby risk prison time. I reasoned with them for many minutes to stay calm. The delay caused desperation. They wept uncontrollably in their panic.

Survivors of natural disasters have been known to perish waiting for help to arrive. Food and water was needed, but didn’t get there soon enough. It was the delay that killed them, not the storm.

Too many stories have been told of sick people dying while waiting for an ambulance. Some have died because the doctor was busy elsewhere. They didn’t survive the delay.

Daniel once prayed an important prayer but no answer came. It may have seemed like it was an eternity for him although it was only about three weeks. Finally, an angel appeared with some news of the behind-the-scenes Spiritual Warfare that had been going on in his behalf. It was the cause of his prayer’s answer being delayed.

Dan. 10:12 Then said he unto me, Fear not, Daniel: for from the first day that thou didst set thine heart to understand, and to chasten thyself before thy God, thy words were heard, and I am come for thy words.

Dan. 10:13 But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me one and twenty days: but, lo, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me; and I remained there with the kings of Persia.

The great news is, Daniel Survived The Delay!

Moses spent 40 days on a mountain receiving the Commandments and instructions from Jehovah. The whole nation of Israel threw all of their Judaic customs aside in one month. The made a golden calf. They sacrificed unto Baal. They took off their clothes and while dancing lewdly claimed that it was Baal that had delivered them from Egypt.

They corrupted themselves. In a very short time a whole nation backslid because it took Moses longer to return from the mountain than they had expected. The conduct of Israel is symbolic of the spirit of today.

Ex. 32:1 And when the people saw that Moses delayed to come down out of the mount, the people gathered themselves together unto Aaron, and said unto him, Up, make us gods, which shall go before us; for as for this Moses, the man that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we wot not what is become of him.

Ex. 32:2 And Aaron said unto them, Break off the golden earrings, which are in the ears of your wives, of your sons, and of your daughters, and bring them unto me.

Ex. 32:3 And all the people brake off the golden earrings which were in their ears, and brought them unto Aaron.

Ex. 32:4 And he received them at their hand, and fashioned it with a graving tool, after he had made it a molten calf: and they said, These be thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt.

Ex. 32:5 And when Aaron saw it, he built an altar before it; and Aaron made proclamation, and said, To morrow is a feast to the LORD.

Ex. 32:6 And they rose up early on the morrow, and offered burnt offerings, and brought peace offerings; and the people sat down to eat and to drink, and rose up to play.

Ex. 32:7 And the LORD said unto Moses, Go, get thee down; for thy people, which thou broughtest out of the land of Egypt, have corrupted themselves:

Ex. 32:8 They have turned aside quickly out of the way which I commanded them: they have made them a molten calf, and have worshipped it, and have sacrificed thereunto, and said, These be thy gods, O Israel, which have brought thee up out of the land of Egypt.

Ex. 32:9 And the LORD said unto Moses, I have seen this people, and, behold, it is a stiffnecked people:

Since childhood, I have heard many sermons about the coming of the Lord. He hasn’t come yet. Do I still believe? ABSOLUTELY!

My mother never dreamed I would start Kindergarten in 1949.  She was sure the Lord would come first.

As a teenager in Muncie, Indiana in 1960, I heard an older boy say that he didn’t believe that Jesus would come for at least another 25 years.

He was right. The problem was however, that because he thought that, he also began to live like Jesus wasn’t coming for another 25 years. He died a tragic death in a backslidden state.

My beloved wife and I originally planned to marry on August 28,1965. But we heard several sermons on the soon return of our Lord Jesus Christ, so we moved our wedding date up to the 14^th just to beat the Rapture.

That was 46 years ago and Jesus still hasn’t come yet, but I’m still believing and still preaching about His coming.

Because He hasn’t come, many are living a dangerous life. The delay in His coming seems to have given many in this generation an imagined license to sin and play around with the world. Unfortunately, some are fulfilling New Testament prophesy before our eyes.

Matt. 24:48 But and if that evil servant shall say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming;

Matt. 24:49 And shall begin to smite his fellowservants, and to eat and drink with the drunken;

Matt. 24:50 The lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looketh not for him, and in an hour that he is not aware of,

Matt. 24:51 And shall cut him asunder, and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Evidently because the Lord has delayed His coming, some of His servants are mistreating others and getting drunk on the things of life and not those things of God.

• They just couldn’t survive the delay.
• Jesus is still coming.
• Some appear to still be in church, yet they are no doubt guilty of mistreating others.
• Some have left the Holiness pathways and have gotten drunken on life and worldliness.
• Others have given up altogether.
• They couldn’t survive the delay.

The Good News Is, There Are Many That Still Say, “Even So, Come Quickly Lord Jesus.”

• I still want to live like today could be the day.
• I plan to survive the delay with His help.

How are you holding up? You’re not playing around with the world, this close to His coming are you?

Make Up Your Mind To Survive The Delay, Whatever The Cost.