At the start of every year, I choose a word or phrase that becomes my theme for the year, along with a bible text. This year it is THRIVE and the verse is Leviticus 20:24 – “But I have said to you, ‘You shall inherit their land, and I will give it to you to possess, a land flowing with milk and honey'”. A seemingly beautiful but powerful text as underneath it calls for the most important act of waiting. We know the story of the Israelites and how they wandered in the desert for 40 years on a journey that by today’s measurements should have taken them considerably less time. So, why were they there for so long? Perhaps, if we looked at it through a different lens, we can find some answers and all-important truths in their journey that we can apply to our lives today.
Firstly, lets adjust the angle on their time in the Desert. Wandering implies an aimless journey with no fixed plan, but that is not the case when it came to the Israelites. They knew the plan, it had been told to their ancestors and passed down from generation to generation. So, if they weren’t wandering in the desert, what were they doing? They weren’t doing nothing, but they were waiting. Keep in mind that waiting and doing nothing are two different things. Doing nothing is simply that, wasted opportunities. Waiting however is intentional, focused and requires dedication and resilience. And these are traits that God was trying to instil in his people. By all means, the desert should be the end of one’s journey, but God used this space and place to remind his people to lean on him for sustenance, for protection, for shelter, for navigation, for social rules and for the law. Why? Because if they were to complete that journey alone, they would have surely failed. It is the same way for us in our lives, that through waiting on God’s timing and plan we can have a life that is flowing with milk and honey, that points to God and allows us to thrive through his many blessings.
Consider a garden where you have sowed the seeds and now are waiting. Do you see the roots establishing themselves – no. Do you trust that though you cannot see them, there are roots establishing themselves – Yes. And that is what they are actively doing, unseen – reaching out and strengthening to support the plant when it emerges from the soil through all phases of its lifetime. What a wonderful thought, that God is never not doing something worthwhile and meaningful in your life! You are that precious to him that he intentionally focuses on where you are in your journey with him and supports you through all of life’s ups and downs, intervening when necessary to ensure that our timing doesn’t lead us down a path we would later regret. God’s timing is greater than ours and when we feel like there is something stopping us from moving, we should remember that waiting is the equivalent of a comma, not full sentence. The waiting will cease and at the end you will be able to look back and see evidence of God’s hand moving in your life.
So, how can we be intentional and focused in our season of waiting? I’d suggest the four points that use the word as an acronym:
Watch: sometimes we don’t realise we are in the waiting as our focus is on other things or other people. Our focus needs to be redirected because if we miss out on being intentional in the waiting phase, it may become a wasted opportunity.
Analyse: When we see something, feel something that is making us not move forward where we thought we’d go, ask why. Perhaps God is wanting you to address an issue, an idol, a choice that needs to focused on and considered. Sometimes it is in the wilderness where God wrestles with us to bring clarity and revelation to us.
Initiate: When we have clarity, that a-ha moment, that revelation – then initiate it. Ask God to give wisdom and direction to your path and follow him. Let him lead you. Do you put your faith in your plans, or the one who has made all the plans possible leading to his righteous will unfolding?
Thank: Above all, throughout all, thank him. Lift his name, let the glory, the respect and honour be given to God. Do not forget him or eave him out of the equation because he is the one who makes all things happen and prosper. Thank God with your thoughts, your words and your actions.
In waiting we can glorify and honour God this year and for many seasons to come.