Immediately

Immediately

It is remarkable how many times Mark uses this word in his gospel. It appears at least ten times1 in just the first chapter. This is hardly by chance; it is based on revelation. It is a powerful expression of the fact that everything goes according to laws that apply to both the good and the bad and all of creation.

We can say that immediately denotes at once, whereas soon denotes “in ten minutes.”

“But when the grain ripens, immediately he puts in the sickle . . . .” Mark 4:29.

“And immediately, coming up from the water, He saw the heavens parting . . . .” Mark 1:10.

“And immediately the Spirit drove Him into the wilderness.” V. 12.

This shows that God is waiting for us, for our maturing, for our obedience, for our ability to bear the trials.

The evidence of His perfection is that we never have to wait for Him. He does not hesitate; He neither sleeps nor slumbers; He is not subject to moods. Moreover, when we fulfill the conditions, He immediately begins to work. He harvests us immediately when we are ripe for His kingdom. The heavens open up and the blessings come down immediately when we have been obedient. We are immediately entrusted with something as soon as we have become reliable and trustworthy. We will be immediately exalted when we have humbled ourselves. Christ takes abode in someone’s heart immediately, as soon as he opens his heart to Him. A person is forgiven his sin immediately, as soon as he confesses his sin. If a person dies with Christ, he is also immediately made alive, because He never hesitates. Glory to God!

The evidence of our imperfection is precisely this: we do not immediately use the opportunity to bless, give, share, sacrifice, etc., as soon as there is an opportunity, but rather hesitate and let the entire opportunity pass us by. This is simply sin. James, who was a teacher in the church, also agrees with this by writing that he who knows to do well and does not do it [immediately], to him it is sin. Jas. 4:17.

However, God does not hesitate to act. We have barely given Him an opportunity to bless us than He has done it. It is always He who waits for us (in the deepest and truest sense!) and never the other way around.

As we gradually partake of God’s mind, of divine nature, all hesitation stops in our life as well. In due course we will always act like Simon and Andrew did when Jesus called them: “And immediately they left their nets and followed Him.” Mark 1:18.

For example, when God reminded him, he immediately opened his mouth, was quiet, went, ran, made a telephone call, and sat down to write. He immediately asked the stranger to come in when he saw him. He sent help immediately when he received the news of the poor man. He immediately went to visit him when he received the news that he had fallen ill. He immediately did it when he was asked to do it. He immediately began to pray when he awoke, and he immediately knelt down to pray after he got up, devoting himself immediately to God’s Word after he got dressed. He paid off his debt immediately after he had received the money. He raised his voice immediately after he was asked to speak louder. As soon as the request was made to fill up the front rows in the meeting hall, more people came up than there was room for.

As God and the godly immediately make use of the opportunities for good, so Satan and those who are led by him, immediately use the opportunities for evil.

“And when they hear, Satan comes immediately and takes away the word that was sown in their hearts.” Mark 4:15.

“Afterward, when tribulation or persecution arises for the word’s sake, immediately they stumble.” V. 17.

For example: He immediately became furious when he was contradicted. He immediately became downcast when he heard it. He immediately stole ten kroner as soon as he was alone and no one could see him. He immediately agreed when the sinner enticed him. They immediately began to whine and complain when the engine in the car stopped running. They immediately began to be anxious to leave for home when the bad weather started. He was immediately offended when he did not get his will through. They immediately began to speak behind the person’s back when they were by themselves. Immediately after his death or as soon as they understood that he would die, they began to argue about the inheritance. When he fell away, his wife also fell away immediately afterward. Therefore when the opportunity was there, it was used immediately!

Thus there is an “immediately” for God and an “immediately” for Satan, and people are between these two “immediatelys.” Salvation consists of putting an end to Satan’s “immediately” and then putting an end to all hesitation in order to get God’s “immediately” finally to be paramount.

What an inexpressibly great and glorious salvation this is! Glory to God!