The Lord is good

The Lord is good

(God’s people are hurting)

David Wilkerson

This is where so many are hurting when prayer seems to go unanswered. I want to tell you something right now. If you don’t believe in Holy Ghost timing, you’ll be confused about prayers being answered the rest of your life. You’ve got to believe in Holy Ghost timing.

God doesn’t make deals with us. God does not work on ‘our time schedule.’ But there is such a thing as Holy Ghost timing. It is written in Bible about ‘Joseph.’ A man who is laying helplessly in jail (prison) for no flaw of his own.

Until the time that his word came: the word of the Lord tried him.

Psalms 105:19

That verse’s sandwiched between two powerful statements.

Whose feet they hurt with fetters: he was laid in iron:

Psalms 105:18

The king sent and loosed him; … and let him go free

Psalms 105:20

Here he is in iron and here’s the king coming to set him free. Right in between, it says,

Until the time that His word came:

(Psalms 105:19)

Until His time came, Until His deliverance came, the word of the Lord tired him.

Every promise in the book taunted him. He look at that. It says it’s written …. And it’s not happening.

“Why am I in jail?”

His trial of waiting broke his heart. And you listen to this pathetic plea. In fact, every time I read this of Joseph it just breaks my heart. There’s no story of all the Bible has broken my heart as much as the story of that Crucifixion and the story of Joseph. I can’t read that story without weeping.

Remember Joseph has interpreted dreams to the cupbearer, and the cupbearer’s released and he’s restored to his place as cupbearer before Pharaoh.

Here is the man of God. Because he wouldn’t compromise with sin, he wouldn’t commit adultery, he’s thrown in jail. He’s wasting away and he sees this man being released.

He’s gonna go right to Pharaoh. He’s gonna have the ear of Pharaoh. Listen to what Joseph says to him. I can see Joseph there in irons. He’s saying to this cupbearer as he is being taken out of the prison.

“Remember me when it shall be well with thee, and shew kindness, I pray thee, unto me, and make mention of me unto Pharaoh, and bring me out of this house.”

(Genesis 40:14)

“I’ve done nothing that they should put me into this dungeon.”

(Genesis 40:15)

You hear the pathetic pleas.

“When you see Pharaoh, tell him about me.

Remind him I didn’t do anything, I don’t deserve.

I’ve not done anything to deserve to this.”

There are those who have a theology that would say, “Where was Joseph’s faith?”

‘This man’s so close to God. He can interpret mysteris and dreams. He’s in close communion with the Lord.’

Why didn’t he comfort himself? Why didn’t he just lean on his faith? Why is this pathetic cry?

Why he leaning on some cupbearer saying ‘please put a word for me to Pharaoh’?

He’s being tried by the Word of God. You can read this Word. You can pray. You can preach it.

But until it’s tested in your life you’d not produce life. It’s got to be tested in ‘the crux (cruxifixion) of life.’ Otherwise it’s just dead words.

Some of you have been severely tried by the Word right now. You’ve seen God answer some of your prayers. You can stand here and look over your past life. You know that God’s answered a number of your prayers. But now you’re facing a prayer that you’ve prayed quite a while and you don’t seen the answer.

Some of you need a miracle in your life. Others of you have seen God answer a prayer, and yet what seems to be an answer is going in reverse and sleeping away now. It’s becoming what you think is tragedy.

Few Christians today wait on God to work in His own time. They don’t have the patience. I wonder if you can say. Could you say this? With Habakkuk, can you say it? Could you say?

“Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall suit be in the vines,

the labour of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat, the flock shall cut off from the fold and there all be no herd in stalls,

Yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the Good of my salvation.

He is still my strength.”

(Habakkuk 3:17-19)

Can you say it? That’s what He’s gonna take to see it through, saints.

A couple of verses from the third chapter Jeremiah. In the same chapter he voiced all the senses that his prayer’s not getting through. He finally came out by faith to this.

It is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not.

Lamentations 3:22

“They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.”

Lamentations 3:23

“The Lord is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in him.”

Lamentations 3:24

“The Lord is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him.”

Lamentations 3:25

Jeremiah came out to a place of confidence and he finally came down to this.

“I believe God can answer anything.”

That’s what the Hebrew children said, “Our God is able to keep us out of that burning fire. But if He puts us in that fire, He’s gonna be there with us. We’re gonna trust Him anyhow.”

The Lord is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him.

Lamentations 3:25

Do you know God has a purpose for everything He’s allowing in your life?

God has a purpose for everything.

Lord, I don’t know what some people going through here tonight. Some’re being tested like they’ve never been tested in their life, wanting you so much hungering and thirsting for righteousness yearning for clean hands and pure heart.

God, we thank you for the freedom there is in You. We thank you there is a place for the victory.

Glory to God.