[This reflection was published in the weekly news bulletin of Horley Baptist Church, 15/Jul/2018]
Some 2000 years ago, before Jesus was born, a man with mobility difficulties decided to try a course of hydrotherapy at a treatment centre in Jerusalem. 38 years later he was still waiting for healing. Then Jesus came along at precisely the right moment and performed the healing miracle for him.
What intrigues me about this story is not the miracle itself or its outcome but the period of waiting beforehand. Thirty-eight years corresponds to the whole of my time in paid employment, and is only slightly longer than the duration of my membership of HBC. So what does 38 years feel like? Here are some events from 38 years ago:
– Steve McQueen, John Lennon, Billy Butlin and Peter Sellers died;
– CNN, the Rubik’s Cube and Post-it Notes were introduced;
– The average UK house price was £13,650 and a gallon (4.5 litres) of petrol cost 79p;
– The UK annual inflation rate reached 18%, the Bank of England base interest rate ended the year at 14%;
– Ronald Reagan became President-elect of the USA and Robert Mugabe became Prime Minister of the newly independent Zimbabwe;
– The Audi Quattro, Ford Escort Mk3 and BL Metro were launched and the MGB ceased production.
– Michael Fanstone was half-way through his time as minister of Horley Baptist Church. Earnest Wimshurst was senior door steward.
For some of us these are memories of current affairs; for others they are merely moments in history.
Do you feel that you are waiting for God to do something? If He doesn’t turn up soon will you have to start without Him? Remember that God invented time, and that He measures it differently. Look up 2 Peter 3 verses 8&9, and wait patiently on God for His perfect timing.
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Contributed by Steve Humphreys; © Steve Humphreys