There are a couple of times in scriptures where the word “immediately” has really grabbed my attention lately and I just wanted to talk about them a little bit!
“Right away a man with a serious skin disease came up and knelt before Him, saying, “Lord, if you are willing, You can make me clean. Reaching out His hand He touched him, saying, ‘I am willing; be made clean.’ IMMEDIATELY his disease was healed.” Matthew 8:2-3
“And climbing out of the boat, Peter started walking on the water and came toward Jesus. But when he saw the strength of the wind, he was afraid. And beginning to sink he cried out, ‘Lord, save me!’ IMMEDIATELY Jesus reached out His hand, caught hold of him, and said to him, ‘You of little faith, why did you doubt?'”
In these instances the leper and Peter had no were else to turn, they knew no one else could help them in their current situation. They cried out to Jesus in their desperation. The leper was healed IMMEDIATELY and Peter was saved IMMEDIATELY. Jesus can do things in an instant…He doesn’t NEED time to mull it over or time for things to take effect. However, sometimes He doesn’t work in immediacy. Sometimes He allows for things to linger, things to be drawn out a little more. What do we do in those times where it isn’t immediate, and we feel like things will never end?
I know that he knows what we can handle, and what we need to see happen in what time frame. He is not concerned so much with how we think things should happen. He sees the big picture. In the leper’s and Peter’s cases, Jesus knew that they needed something to happen right then…but maybe in our situations He knows it doesn’t have to be immediate. I praise God that He knows no boundaries, and that He knows what we need when we need it!
