“We cannot bring the vision to fulfillment through our own efforts, but must live under its inspiration until it fulfills itself.” -Oswald Chambers “My Utmost for His Highest”
Waiting is hard. It’s seems God’s timing is never aligned with my own and it often leaves (no pun intended) me in the wait. Not that He’s ever late...more like right on time...it’s just me who would prefer not to wait. I’m not positive if it’s the waiting or the giving up my control of the situation that’s harder here. One thing is for sure though, waiting is necessary because in the wait, things grow.
There’s always this work going on underneath the surface that I can’t see. In a world so vast and complex, how foolish am I to even think I can see or understand it all and then attempt to have control over it? Sounds pretty silly saying it out loud. In training myself to respond and not react, I must remind myself here that though my eyes do not see it yet, does not mean it’s not on the way; and though my hands are not a part of it, does not mean it’s not being worked on. There’s more than meets the eye in this world.
Do you know how I know this? Exhibit A: Logically looking back on my life, every problem I’ve had and thought I’d never get through always worked itself out...rarely how I expected, but always worked out none the less. Fact is, life keeps moving and to do so, things must change. My catch phrase is “It will work out. It has to.” The fact that I’m still standing here today and thousands, if not millions of my problems have resolved themselves is the proof.
Exhibit B: Spiritually I know this because of faith (the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen). It’s the word that pleases God and calls Him to work. And every time I put it in action, it grows because God does not disappoint.
Whichever way you slice it....something is always being worked on, something is always being done. Though I’m not the one growing the seed, I can surely rely on the One who is. In the wait I can remind myself things ARE happening even when it looks changeless on the surface.
Then, as if suddenly and without warning, the plant leaf pops up through the ground, the answer comes, the breakthrough happens. But it wasn’t REALLY suddenly, was it? It just seems that way with my limited perception. Peer below the surface a moment and you see the reality all along. Something was happening, I just didn’t look beyond the surface to see it. I want to remember to pause here in that moment...the moment of “suddenly”. Too quick I sigh a breath of relief, check that one off the list and move onto the next problem in line. But I need to take more time imprinting the suddenly moment so when in the waiting, I learn to live expectantly knowing that suddenly is on its way.
So, it seems I‘m left with only one leaf to turn over (pun intended). Now knowing the process and the end result and seeing this played out over and over in my life, my question is this. What sense does it make to worry and strive to make something happen (that I really can’t control anyway) when I can just have the faith, live in peace, and trust God’s got it from the start? None as far as I can now see.
