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I recall a three-year delay God gave me, when I so wanted to leave a job I was in. From my vantage point, no good could be served by my remaining in that job another day. I had a most difficult boss, and I didn’t like the work. It was so painful to get up and make myself go to that office each morning. So, in my usual style, I got the resume updated, and started the job search. I had full confidence I could find another suitable job quickly.
Days turned into weeks and months, and jobs that looked like a shoe-in fell through. “What’s happening, God? Why did you let that job fall through? That would have gotten me out of this mess.” Those were my sentiments at that point in time.
But finally, I recognized God wasn’t letting me out of this one yet. And so, I gave him permission to keep me there as long as it served his purposes, though I couldn’t imagine what good purposes could possibly be served. That’s the place we have to come to.
Read this carefully: Patience is accepting a difficult situation from God without giving him a timetable to remove it. Read it again: Patience is accepting a difficult situation from God without giving him a timetable to remove it.
Been giving God any timetables lately? If only we can learn to accept those waiting periods in our lives as from his hand, and say, “Lord, it’s your timetable not mine. I accept this situation as long as you choose to allow it.” That is walking by faith, my friends.
Had I left that job when I wanted to, I would have missed three years of personal development that have been essential to my walk with God and the ministry he has given me. I would have missed the tough lessons I learned that molded my character and helped me mature. And in addition, during those three years I acquired business skills and experience, which allowed me to become self-employed, and that turned out to be absolutely essential in order to begin this ministry. God knew what he was doing.
If you’re in that predicament today, wondering why God hasn’t done anything yet, try to remember that the day will come when you can look back and see how he was developing you in that time.