Usually, we ask or cry, “How long?” when think or feel like it has been too long. This is especially true when the ‘too long’ has been marked by hardship, suffering, pain, injustice, or confusion.
“How long?” pops up often in life as well as in the Bible (God’s written word, which is the best and most important guide when it comes to life, wisdom, salvation, and God).
There are different kinds of “How long?” (Feel free to add your own examples)
- The information seeking “How long?”
- “How long has this been going on?”
- “How long has it been since you ….?”
- “How long before the next flight?”
- The impatient “How long?”
- “How long before we get there?”
- “How long before we stop and eat?”
- “How long before it is my turn?
- The desperate, agonized “How long?”
- “How long before this gets better?
- “How long will this pain last?”
- “How long do I have to wait for you to help me, God?
- The exasperated “How long?”
- “How long before you quit making stupid decisions?”
- “How long before you grow up?”
- “How long will you keep making excuses?”
- “How long before you will listen, learn, change?
In Mark 9:14-29 (I encourage you to take the time to look up Bible references someone gives you, and always read the context surrounding a reference) we encounter a number of “How long(s)?” What happened was a desperate dad bringing his son, who had been ill/possessed/self-destructive since he has been little, to Jesus. When dad and son arrived Jesus is not there, so some of his disciples tried to help/heal/deliver the child from what ailed him. But they failed to do so. By the time Jesus arrives a whole crowd has gathered. Dad tells Jesus the problem, which now was twofold: 1. The boy’s unchanged condition; 2. The disciples’ inability/failure to help him. Which one do you think Jesus dealt with first? If you guessed #2 then you are right. And what kind of “How come?” do you think He unleashed? If you guessed the “exasperated” kind, then you were right again. Jesus had already authorized, trained, and sent these men out to do this very thing. They had done this before and in Jesus’ mind, they should have been able to handle the case of this poor boy, even if it was difficult. “How come you are going backward instead of forward in your faith?” Jesus wanted to know, rebuked, “How long do I have to put up with this from you?” “How long are you going to be like the rest of the world around you?”
We are so prone to be stuck in our own “How come …?” Expressing our own ignorance, impatience, pain, and exasperation – often with God, that we fail to consider and respond to the “How long(s)?” God asks of us. So, when was the last time you heard God asking you, “How long …?” What were the specifics of it? Did you respond to it the way God wanted you to? If you didn’t, how come? and, when will you?
To God be all glory. Love you, Pastor Hans
P.S. If you are wondering what happened with the boy, how come you haven’t already picked up a Bible or googled Mark 9:14-29 to find out?