A Season of Waiting

When it comes to ministry, sometimes the Lord will bring you into a season of waiting. There are many reasons for it. Here are three of the most common:

• To develop and prepare you further for the task He’s given you.
• To prepare your audience for what you have to give them.
• To protect His plan.

A great example of the third reason (to protect His plan) is found in the early life of Christ.

When Jesus was a child, an angel appeared to His father Joseph in a dream and told him to move Jesus and his wife Mary from Israel to Egypt. The reason — to protect Jesus from Herod, a man who was threatened by Jesus and obsessed with killing Him.

So Joseph and his family moved to Egypt and waited there. Note that Egypt was neither their home nor their final destination.

After a period of time (waiting), Joseph was given another dream wherean angel appeared to him, telling him to return to Israel with Jesus and His mother Mary, “for all who sought the child’s life are dead.”

It was safe for Jesus to return home, and God carried out His plan for and through Him.

As I’ve pointed out elsewhere, the history of Jesus is our destiny. As the body of Christ, we collectively retrace His steps.

Consequently, sometimes the Lord will have you wait on a specific ministry to protect it, just as He did in the life of His Firstborn Son.

All told, if God has you in a season of waiting – whether to prepare you, to prepare your audience, or to protect His work through you – be assured that the time will come when an angel will appear and tell you that it’s time to resume. (I speak metaphorically.)

In the meantime, be consistent and faithful in your preparation.

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Mission – articles on God’s eternal purpose and the kingdom

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Church – articles on radical church restoration and reform

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