Precept Upon Precept, Line upon Line
I found out early in life that life is not a sprint but rather a marathon. I was involved in athletics in the earlier part of my high school days. Before I discovered my strength in athletics, I was an all-comer. Any distance I got invited to run I easily accepted until a major event where I tried to dabble into long distance whereas my real strength was in the short. I tried to do a 800 meters with the strategy of my regular 100 meters or 200 meters dash and I ended up in the hospital. The journey of life is a long distance, it cannot be approached with the strategy of a sprint.
Isaiah 28:9-10 says “Whom shall he teach knowledge? and whom shall he make to understand doctrine? them that are weaned from the milk, and drawn from the breasts. 10For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little” In a short distance race, you have to build your momentum very fast and increase it at a very aggressive pace if you are going to get a great result. You must be physically and mentally fit and ready to compete or else you will find yourself losing out. However, the opposite is the case with a long distance. If you take off too aggressively, by the time you get into the middle of the race you easily get tired and your competitors that know the rules will easily catch up with you and leave you behind. The steps in a marathon must be well calculated in order to end well.
Great lessons in life are learnt more in a marathon than in a sprint. These include patience, tact, mental fitness, grace and longsuffering. That is why life seems more to be a marathon and not a sprint. The bible says in Romans 9:14-16 “What shall we say then? Is there unrighteousness with God? God forbid. For he saith to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. So then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy”
The bible is filled with stories of patience. God promised to Abraham that he would be the father of many nations. But when the promise was first given (Genesis 12:1-3) Abraham and his wife Sarah did not have any child. God continued to restate His promise to Abraham through the years (Genesis 13:6; 15:1-6; 17:6-8; 18:10). Abraham, though known as a man of faith, took his wife’s suggestion and had a child with Sarah’s handmaid. The son’s name was Ishmael. But this was not the son God intended for Abraham. (Genesis 16). Finally, when Abraham was 100 and Sarah was 90 years old God gave them their son Isaac. Though it took years of patiently waiting, they received the promise of God. Hebrews 6:15 says of Abraham, “And so, after he had patiently endured, he obtained the promise.”
Probably the best known story of patience in the Bible is the life of Job. To prove Job’s faithfulness to the Lord, God allowed the devil to destroy everything Job owned (Job 1). Job was a wealthy man. He lost his crops, property, cattle and servants. But most devastating of all was when Job lost his children. However, Job did not blame God. He accepted that God had a plan and would be patient for God to reveal His plan. Job’s friends came to counsel him. They tried to find out what great sin Job had committed to deserve the punishment he received. Job would not admit to any sin. Job knew that sometimes bad things happen to good people. Often people will talk about the patience of Job. He knew God had a plan and was willing to accept what God allowed in his life. In the end God restored to Job twice as much as he had in the beginning (Job 42:10).
In conclusion, the bible says in Galatians 6:9 “And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.” Results of your good works in life might not come suddenly, but don’t give up on God. Be steadfast and immovable, they will surely come.
The grace to remain focused on the journey of life till the end, the Lord will give us all in Jesus name.
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