It’s been a long time since I cracked open my Bible on my own. Sure I’ve read some at church or small group meetings, but it’s not the same. It’s been quite a roller-coaster of pain and joys for me over these past few months that mirrors the time I’ve spent in The Word, in prayer, and even the sporadic nature of my blog posts. I made a commitment to read through the Bible this year, so I picked up where I left off four months ago.
In Genesis 15-17, Abram goes from a childless old man to a man with a new name and a covenant with God that he will become the father of nations. In the process he takes matters into his own hands and gets his wife’s maid pregnant. Sometimes (actually most times) I get impatient and try to take matters into my own hands. It’s usually when I am not hearing clearly from God. I get an idea in my head and I want to run with it instead of waiting on God. Abraham didn’t wait long enough as Abram and with his covenant with God came another waiting period. God told him to show that he belongs to God through circumcision and wait another year for a child with Sarah. I see a slight parallel with what we do today to show that we belong to Christ.
This past weekend we had baptisms at our church. I think often times after that outward display of faith we want to hit the ground running but we don’t know what to do. That’s where the waiting comes in. Waiting doesn’t mean to let your faith grow stagnant. It means to continue in your personal walk with Christ through His Word, prayer, and fellowship with His body. Sometimes you don’t have to wait long before God leads you to what He has for you next. Sometimes it seems to take much longer. I think when it feels like it’s taking a long time, we might be overlooking what God us teaching us in that moment.
That’s where I am at. I feel like I’ve been waiting a long time to move on in ministry. What am I overlooking that God is doing in me now? I pray that as I come back to Him in this coming season that He will reveal to me what I’ve been missing. I know it starts with time with Him.