One of the main ways God works on earth is in partnership with us. Not because He needs us involved, but because He wants us to have the opportunity and because we have been given the authority.
God gave me a picture of how He wants to partner with us. The picture was of God as our Father, bringing us into His family business. In the family business, God is our boss. But as God is our good Father, there is a close relationship. The family business is not only His business, but it is also our inheritance. But you see, we have a choice. Do we want to be in business with our Father?
Now, He knows the best way to run the business. And He’s never stuck in the past way of doing things. He is always aware of what is coming in the future and knows the best way to handle it. His knowledge far surpasses ours. So, we should watch how He does things and see where he wants us to join Him. But often, we think we know what is best and we do it without fully consulting Him.
We have a choice to observe and engage with Him as He goes and learn the business or we can step out and do things on our own. The Father isn’t withholding anything. He wants the best for the business and for us and has already given everything to offer us an amazing inheritance. He wants to promote us within the business, but only when we are ready, and only when it will benefit the business (His kingdom).
I have a tendency to jump the gun on things. When I feel God leading me a certain way or to a certain end, I tend to dive right in, and plan the best way to get there without looking at how He wants to approach it. Unfortunately, the result usually isn’t pretty. Even though I may have been working toward the same end goal He showed me, I may not take the right steps to get there. I’m still learning how to walk with God on things. I’m still learning how to listen for His timing. The process is just as important as the end goal in our Christian walk.
These days, I always feel a sense of urgency in my Spirit. But I don’t always respond correctly. To me, the urgency means “do it now”, but I’m realizing that isn’t the way I should respond. There is still good news, though! Even when I mess up, the Father steps in to help. He knows my strengths and weaknesses. He knows what level I’m currently at. And He positions me in a place that is a challenge to me, but that is manageable if I am watching and following Him. Wherever He places me is never outside His ability to step in and work out everything for good even when I didn’t follow His timing.
His urgency is more about expectation and less about doing. He wants me to be alert and awake. He wants me to be interceding in the immediate, not acting. He wants me to wait with anticipation and readiness for when He says go—which can be uncomfortable for me. Waiting with expectancy, not knowing how long it might be, can be hard. Especially in this day and age when so many things are immediate. I’m finding myself feeling like a dog who has heard the word “walk,” rushing around the room in circles, excitedly waiting for the door to open. But the longer it takes, the less expectant I am. Weariness can creep in.
So if you are like me, let’s make an effort not to grow weary in the waiting. Let us be expectant even when it is uncomfortable and it has taken longer than we like. Galatians 6:9 (NIV) says “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” Let’s wait in joyful expectation of the harvest.
