The Frustration and Long-Suffering of God

 

Frustration – dissatisfaction due to unresolved    problems or unfulfilled needs

 Long Suffering – a long and patient endurance of offense

 

   I wonder. I think just about everyone has experienced frustration; especially those who have to deal with procrastinators. It can lead to family arguments, separations of friendships, alienation between          employees and just plain anger.

   I wonder. How many folks have the gift of long-suffering or have been placed into a situation of long-suffering.

   If you’ve been there or are there, you know how awful it feels. But, you hang in there wishing or expecting things will change.

   I wonder. Does God get frustrated or experience long-suffering?

   You can bet your sweet bippy He does!

   From Adam and Eve following their fall into Sin, the first murder by Cain, humankind “going south” because of the proliferation of sin and wickedness, God must have been frustrated with His humans.          Although people were calling upon the name of the LORD, (Gen. 5:26) “God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.” (Gen. 6:5) Sounds like God could have been VERY frustrated over the problem of sin and, rather than repent, humankind continued to ignore God and perpetuate its spiral into wickedness.

     How many generations had passed up to the time of Noah, when God decided to destroy humankind except Noah and his family? We don’t know. The records show only the first-born of the patriarchs “and they had other sons and daughters.” (Gen. 5) So it was quite a stretch of generations. Shows you how long-suffering God is. But, as you know, God decided to pull the plug and drain the swamp. God’s anger and frustration came to an end.

     However, following Noah and his family’s salvation from the flood, things began to go sideways again. Following the tower of Babel, we see how people (all descended from Noah) were dispersed around the known world, establishing nations; nations that would play the old tapes (old streaming?) and forsake God.

    Then the Exodus from Egypt brought additional frustration and long-suffering to God. God led His people to freedom in Canaan; however, His people kept turning away from Him, going after idols and corrupting themselves. Throughout the days of the prophets to the birth of Jesus the Christ, God’s people refused to love, honor and fear God.

     I wonder. Did God consider destroying humankind again? He certainly had reason to do so.

     No, not this time! God would fulfill the promise first given at the Fall. There would come One who would bruise the head of Satan (remember the serpent?). Satan would be crushed.

     Rather than destroy humanity along with the creation, God sent His Son, Jesus, to bring repentance and salvation though His death on the cross and His bodily resurrection from death. Through Jesus, we and creation wait for the day when all things will be made new.

    Here’s the good – no, great news. Through Jesus, we and creation are saved and delivered from the deterioration that has gone on for thousands of years! “For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him (Adam) who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God (Romans 8:19-20).

     God’s frustration and long-suffering had come to the point where He set in motion a different solution. Jesus was the answer to restore God’s creation and people; He would live, suffer and die in our place. Jesus’ promise is when we repent and believe in Him we will have eternal life.

     Now we wait for Jesus’ second coming. And yes, the world still is bent on destroying itself through rebellion against God. Our present world situation is proof enough of that.

     I wonder. How much longer will it be before God the Father tells His Son, Jesus, “Go, gather Your Church!” Now, over two thousand years since Jesus died for us, humanity has shown itself fickle. Even now we are running after other “gods;” giving our Lord a back seat to everything else. When will God’s frustration and long-suffering with us come to a halt?

    I wonder. It could be any moment now. Trust in Jesus as your Savior so when that Day comes you may be found working in God’s kingdom -preaching and teaching Jesus, the solution, rather than being part of the problem.

   I wonder. How do I fit into the picture. I wonder about you, too.

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Pastor Fred Westerhold