He’s Still Working on Me
Once upon a time I was the director of our Children’s Choir at our church in Oklahoma. A couple of days ago I was singing one of those songs that I would have thought would be long forgotten! Amazing, these computers inside of us that can search and find. I was singing this song: “He’s still working on me.”
He’s still working on me
To make me what I ought to be
It took Him just a week to make the moon and stars
The sun and the earth and Jupiter and Mars,
How loving and patient He must be
‘Cause He’s still workin’ on me
And, the truth of the matter – He IS still working on you and me. We’re still on the potter’s wheel and He is still refining and perfecting that which He started in us. So, we best let up a little on the “perfect persona” that we wish to exude.
Remember the story of the Israelites in the wilderness wondering “God, when can we get out of here?” If every prayer were answered immediately, if every need were instantly met, and if every problem were automatically solved, our faith would never be stretched. We’d be spoiled children. We’d have no need for faith!
We don’t like to wait in a doctor’s office or in a grocery store line or at traffic lights. And you’d better not make us wait very long for our food at a restaurant! But life is full of waiting.
The Israelites had to learn this reality. Deuteronomy 8:2 says, “God led you all the way in the wilderness these forty years, to humble and test you in order to know what was in your heart.”. The journey the Israelites made from Egypt to Israel should have only taken a few weeks. But it took them 40 years!
They wandered around because of their disobedience to God. And as they were experiencing one delay after another, God was testing them. He wanted to see what kind of faith they had. God uses delays to test us, too, to see what kind of faith we have.
God’s timing is perfect, but often his timetable doesn’t match ours. When we’re in a hurry, we always ask the “when” questions. “Lord, when am I going to find employment again?” “When am I going to find my soulmate?” “When am I going to have a baby?” “When am I going to get well?” “When are my prayers going to be answered?”
It’s not fun sitting in God’s waiting room. But it is a necessary time of building our faith. The Bible says in Isaiah 64:4, “Since ancient times no one has heard, no ear has perceived, no eye has seen any God besides You, who acts on behalf of those who wait for Him.”
This means that while we’re waiting, God is working on us. We may not be able to see it. It may be behind the scenes. But while we’re waiting for that answer to prayer, for the circumstances to be different, God is working on us in the waiting. Before we know it, we’ll hear Him call our name and we’ll be there in His way, His timing, and His perfect plan!