Do you even feel that your true destiny is not coming to fruition? You have had a prophecy or a dream in your life, and you know that God has something planned…and nothing seems to happen? Or then we tell Jesus what we think should happen, after all it says in His Word that all we need to do is ask. So we ask, and wait…
And wait.
And wait some more.
Nothing seems to happen. Nothing changes, except I get impatient. Then my “faith” falters just a little bit. Something must be wrong. Maybe God was deaf, or maybe He is too busy to answer…so I start to nag and whine a little.
What if He did answer? And I wasn’t listening because the answer wasn’t what I wanted it to be. Maybe the answer was “no” or “not now”…!! I don’t like hearing those answers. I am used to things happening when I want them to happen, and how I want them to happen. As a master manipulator it is quite easy to make things happen if I want it badly enough.
It could also be that we aren’t ready for what God has planned for us to do. We are too busy getting our lives into shape, that we aren’t pursuing what He has designed for us. We have left Him out of the equation. We have seen what we think He wants, and we are taking it into our own hands.
It took Moses 40 years to get ready to lead the Israelites out of Egypt. That’s a long time to prepare. I need to remember this. All of the time. Suppose it is going to take 40 years for me to be ready. Am I ready for that?
About 15 years ago I saw a picture of what God had planned for my life. Well, that picture was too scary for me. So, I have ignored it, and done my own thing. Plus, I didn’t really want what I saw. I wanted something else. So, I have been wandering around in the desert since then. Never quite surrendering to His will, just in case that picture becomes reality.
It has become abundantly clear that life hasn’t gone quite like I planned. On the surface everything seems rosy. I have “lived the dream”…a good marriage, wonderful children, and a life of ministry. Deep down inside I was withering. I have been pursuing my own idea of perfection, and God, in His mercy has let me pursue it.
He has been waiting for me to surrender and be willing to do what He planned all along. He has been in no rush. If it takes me 4 or 40 years to do what He wants, that’s okay, He has all the time in the world. I can’t hurry Him up. And I can’t expect to see the life He wants for me if I try to rush the process.
Is there something in your future that you know is coming from Jesus? Have you been waiting and whining? Sometimes He lets us glimpse the glory, and we want to do something with it…but He is waiting for us to just absorb it, and live it. He is letting us learn some valuable lesson that we would not learn if we had just jumped into our life’s work from the first glimpse.
You might be pursuing something with a passion…does it bring you peace? Do you know deep down that that is what you are meant to do? If not, then maybe it’s time to reevaluate what you are passionate about.
There is nothing more exciting, and peaceful, than the passionate pursuit of Jesus. Learn everything you can about Him. Listen to His voice. Sit at His feet, and be willing to sit there for as long as He wants you to. No accolades, financial gain, or earthly success will bring you deeper happiness.
That is my plan now…even if it takes another 40 years.