Hope deferred makes the heart sick. I read in a commentary that says the object hoped for; if it is not enjoyed as soon as expected, at least if it is delayed for any length of time, the mind becomes uneasy, the heart sinks and fails, and the man is dispirited and ready to despond, and give up all hope of enjoying the desired blessing; whether it be deliverance from any evil, or the possession of any good, or the fulfilment of any promise.
But when the desire manifests, it is a tree of life; when that which is hoped and wished for, and has been long expected and desired, comes; when there is an accomplishment of men's wishes, it is as grateful as the tree of life was in Eden's garden. It gives him an unspeakable pleasure and delight. Even though the waiting may not be deferred longer than the appointed time, yet longer than we expected, and which sometimes made our hearts sick; we became weak and feeble, fearful and dispirited, lest it should never come to pass.
Have you been there before? Have you had your desires deferred again and again? I have and I know the longer the hope is deferred, the greater the joy and delight when the promise manifests. In the meantime, God knows it is not easy to wait, hence He will periodically show me assurances of His promise, how He has not forgotten me. God is so good. Sometimes He will also give me other desires and then proceed to fulfill those longings of my heart. I believe He does this to bring hope to my failing heart, which is sometimes like a smothering wick.
A longing fulfilled is a tree of life. God knows the positive effects of a longing fulfilled on us. That is why He goes about fulfilling my other desires while I wait for the 'ultimate' promise to be fulfilled in its appointed time. Seeing these desires come to pass imparts life to my spirit and joy to my soul. But recently I noticed that more of my desires have been coming to pass sooner than I expected. Perhaps the reason is that I have entered into due season, harvest time, a season of fulfilment, no more hopes deferred. One of the characteristics of harvest time is that all the good things come out to the surface and desires are fulfilled.
Nowadays I don't really have that many desires because the Lord has been keeping me happy and contented. But thank God that I just had another longing fulfilled yesterday. In early Feb, I suddenly had the desire to change my handphone because it was getting chipped off at the sides. I don't usually like to change handphones because it could be quite troublesome to do all the phone transfers. At that time there were no good deals and my 21-month contract was just over so I could afford to wait.
Well, this posed to be no issue for me because I wasn't in such a hurry to change my handphone. Just that the desire had come up so I know my Daddy God wanted to bless me with a new phone so I shouldn't decline. Usually I would rationalise the cost and benefit and end up not changing my handphone. I am not the sort who go for the latest gadgets, especially not handphones. But thank God there was a good deal and Heng surprised me with a new handphone yesterday! The fulfilment of this desire was much sooner than I expected! I feel so loved by my Daddy God. Thank You, Daddy!
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