Waiting of God pt. 2 - "When God Says "Not Yet""

One of the most uncomfortable things in the world for me is anticipation. I can't stand when something lies before me and yet I can't do anything about it. In football, the only thing that drove me crazy was the couple hours right before a game. The week of practice leading up to the game was grueling but I didn't mind it. Even the few days after a game, when I was so sore I couldn't walk, weren't all that bad. But the anticipatory moments right before kick-off were almost unbearable for me.

I don't like the idea of having something to do, but not being able to just "get it done," or at least get started. "Not yet" is a phrase that I'm all too familiar with, but not very fond of. "Hold on" is something that I'll tolerate, but only if I have to. "Pending" is a word that has become utterly contemptuous to me... I don't like it.

Well I can only imagine how the apostles felt in Acts chapter 1 when Jesus spoke those aversive words to them. Having already been instructed that they were to bear witness to Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria, and finally the "ends of the earth," about Jesus the Christ, He tells them that they are to "wait." Unbeknownst to the apostles, their witnessing was going to determine the fate and future of the Church; and while these Christ-ians may not have fully understood the ramifications of their task, I'm sure they knew it was pretty important.

The reality is this: The apostles had been in a preparation period for at least the last 40 days, and now Jesus was telling them that they couldn't put into practice all that they had learned from Him until a promise was fulfilled, "Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about."(Acts 1:4). To make it worse, there was no date or time given as to when this was going to happen. They just had to trust and wait. The reason they had to wait is because they did not yet have the key ingredient that would make their toils a success, "power" from the Holy Spirit. The "power" (Dynamis) that they were waiting for would ultimately carry them as they undertook this daunting task of preaching "Christ" to the world. Jesus knew that while they had the information they needed, they were still not prepared; They needed God's spirit acting alongside them.

My suspicion is this:
Often times we find ourselves in these times of preparation. We know (partially) what we are to do, we feel as though we're ready, but we still have not been released to action. Upon discovering my call to the ministry in 2006, I immediately thought that it was time to be a pastor. You couldn't tell me that I wasn't ready to begin this great work that God had given me to do. Now I realize that there are years of preparation, of which I am now residing, that need to take place before I will be "prepared" to act. God knows just what we need in order to carry out God's plans for our lives, and to do it in a way that would bring glory to God's name. Most of us get so impatient with what we are supposed to be doing (or what we think we are to do), that we forsake the necessary preparation that will ultimately carry us through.

My challenge is this:
As we wait for God to give us the key ingredients that we need to carry out His plans, let us be patient. Let us not jump out into the field of life before we have been 'sent' by God. Whatever you are endeavoring to do with your life, make for certain that you give God the time that He needs with you in order that you will bring glory to God's name.

This may not apply to everyone, but to those of us who are waiting on God to say, "go forth," I want to offer this consolation: Pray and don't allow anxious impatience to propel you to premature action. I don't know what it is that God has you waiting on, but rest assured that when the time is right (when you are ready) you will have your chance.

Note: Man, this is for me...

Special Note: Whatever you are doing with your life, whether in ministry or not (directly), understand that we ALL need the same Holy Spirit (and "power") if we are going to carry out God's plan.

Be blessed...