Look Away from the Wait
“He said, “God’s Kingdom is as if a man should cast seed on the earth, and should sleep and rise night and day, and the seed should spring up and grow, he doesn’t know how. For the earth bears fruit: first the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear. But when the fruit is ripe, immediately he puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come.”” (Mark 4:26-29 WEB)
Have you ever tried an exercise called “wall squats”? You basically lean your back against a wall, and bend your knees until you are squatting with your legs in a right angle bend.
Amilee and I do this exercise often now as part of our workout routine.
I notice how the ‘burn’ from this exercise is much more torturous when I stare at the countdown timer (we squat for a minute at the end of our workout). However if I distract myself by reading things, observing my surroundings, or looking at Mae playing in the living room, the one minute passes by easily. If I can hold my smartphone while squatting, I think I can last for many minutes.
When we are obsessing over the wait, it can be very painful. Time seems to crawl at a snail’s pace, and the frustration builds quickly.
God likes ways of progress that we cannot comprehend. That way, we cannot claim the glory, and we won’t be able to obsess over the waiting period.
In the passage above, the man sleeps and rises night and day, going on with his daily life, but the seed is still growing and eventually it bears fruit.
As long as you are receiving the good seeds of God’s word, you can be sure that a harvest is on the horizon.
Obsessing over the waiting process is painful, so just focus on Jesus and enjoy God’s word in the meantime. God is working on your life, even if the progress is not obvious.
You may not understand how your problems or troubles can be resolved, but God is wise and able to turn your situation around easily.
A prolonged waiting period is not wasted time when you have been growing in God’s word.
God can restore you for all those barren years in one fell swoop. One moment of His favor can accomplish more than a lifetime of labor.
Harvest time is coming for sure, so praise God and use your waiting time to do what really matters: receiving the precious treasure of His wisdom and sharing the Gospel to win souls, in the way that the Holy Spirit leads you.
Stay joyful in the Lord, and be filled with His shalom peace. Have a blessed week ahead!
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