Waiting for God week 8, 2013

Having been in the presence of God forty days and nights he did not eat or drink water, indeed he didn’t need them in the period and felt no hunger. It was at the end that hunger came. After fasting for forty days and forty nights, he finally became hungry Mat 4:2(ISV). Hunger makes many a man irritable and rash. It was now time to eat physical food, but where was it? He was with the wild animals, and the angels were ministering to him Mk 1:13(ISV) but none had brought him food just yet. Didn’t the father know he needed food now? Hadn’t the appointed time for the fast been forty days? Surely the father would send bread. Saul had fallen in a similar scenario years ago. Samuel had given the time before he would come. Saul was hungry for action, hungry and impatient. He waited seven days, the time appointed by Samuel. But Samuel did not come to Gilgal, and the people were scattering from him 1Sa 13:8(ESV). After all he was the anointed king of Israel, and anointing is anointing not so? Saul forced himself upon the sacrifice1Sa 13:12 (an indication his conscience warned him not to do it). As soon as he finished Samuel arrived, saw what happened and lamented. You have done foolishly. You have not kept the command of the LORD your God, with which he commanded you… now your kingdom shall not continue 1Sam 13:13-14(ESV). So many years later Satan said to Jesus "If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become loaves of bread Mat 4:3(ISV). The time is up, aren’t you God’s son, haven’t you been anointed? What are you waiting for? You are a man you know; you need it to live. Command bread! Noah had been shut into the ark by God and rain fell. Now the earth was dry and Noah knew this. Noah removed the covering of the ark and looked, and behold, the face of the ground was dry Gen 8:13 (ESV). Yet the One who shut him in had not said come out. So he waited until a full month and 27 days when God said: Go out from the ark…Gen8:14-16(ESV). Similarly Elijah had been fed by ravens and drank from the brook by the word of God. When it dried up he waited for God to speak 1Ki 17:4-8. You know what I believe? The angel that was to bring food to Jesus (Mt4:11) must have been delayed at Satan’s instance, just as the angel to bring Daniel’s answer was delayed Dan 10:12-13. Jesus responded, “I am a man alright, but what I live by is God’s word, and until I get it I am not going to presume and take the initiative.” The Son is not able to do anything from Himself, except what He may see the Father doing Jn 5:19(LITV). “I will wait to see what the father has for me.” When you are in need and God has not arrived with the solution do you take your own initiative or wait for God?