One of the kinds of people is those that have found it. A friend of mine has known for a long time that he was to plant a church in a major US city. Recently, he made moves to begin that call. He spent time talking to key people, investigating the area, and finally moving he and his family to the area to begin what he has known for a long time was his calling. He took his time and spent a long time praying and planning, but now is doing what he was called to do by God. He didn't try to rush it, didn't try to step on someone else's toes to make it happen, he just waited. I remember him talking about this mission for a long time, and knowing what God had called him and his family too. While it was not easy to wait, he did and now is in the middle of the greatest adventure of his life. He has seen God provide in miraculous ways and in very unexpected ways. While I know there is some apprehension, the excitement for being exactly where God wants for him and his family far out ways any fear and discomfort. He is where God wants him and has called and prepared him to do.
Another kind of person is those that know what God wants, but try and rush it. They want to be where God wants them now. These people will often do whatever they have to; to get to the place they think God is calling them. Abraham was one of these people. He was told by God he would be the father of many nations. But the trouble is he didn't have any children. He and his wife were getting old so he decided to hurry things along. With the help of his wife, he took his wife's servant and had a child through her. He and Sarah thought they had arrived and had finally gotten to the promise. But God told him Ishmael was not the son of the promise, and that the son of promise would come through his wife Sarah, not her servant. So many years later, when Abraham was 99 and Sarah was 90 (obviously well past child bearing years) God came to visit them and told them in a year they would have a son. And it happened just as God said it would. But because of Abraham trying to rush Gods plan, he suffered setbacks, heartache, and many things he could have avoided by waiting. Many people in the church are in this boat. They want what God promised NOW and they do not want to wait. They don't care who they have to step on or push aside or what shortcuts they have to take to get to that place they know God has called them. They end up suffering all kinds of setbacks or heartache because they rushed the process. Moses Tried to rush the process by killing an Egyptian slave maser, but found out it wasn't time yet. God took him through 40 more years of waiting and preparation before he was allowed to fulfill the call God had for him because the time was not right when he first tried, but it was right when he was 80. Moses had to learn more to be able to fulfill that call and the circumstances had to be just right to be able to make the call more effective. Now I am sure that the 40 years of waiting and thinking he had missed it and was a complete failure was not fun, it all turned out for the Glory of God.
The last group is those that know where God has called them and know the gifts they have, but are content to wait for the right time. This group is a small group in the Church today. Most do not have the patience to wait on God. Most want to be in the call NOW and not later. Now Joseph, Isaac's son, was one that knew his calling. He knew where he was going, but circumstances took him on a very difficult path through rejection, slavery, and prison. Finally, after much patience (and I am sure there were times he didn't feel patient) Pharaoh called and Joseph was able to finally after much waiting and patience and waiting again, and learning, to be able to step in to the roll God had for him.
Sometimes we can be all three of these people at various times. But we learn to wait. Like my friend, he had to wait, and finally the time came. Like Abraham, he had to wait and then he forced it to happen, and then had to wait patiently, and then finally it happened.
My question to you is this. What kind of person will you be? Are you in the place God has for you or are you on the journey? One thing I have learned lately is that it is the journey that is often the most important, because it's in the journey that we learn who we are and what we are and gain valuable skills and lessons and insight in order to be able to do what God has called us to do. So no matter where in the journey you are, I want to encourage you to 2 things. 1) Whatever place your in or kind of person you are, start being patient and enjoy the journey. For in the journey you will gain much you need to fulfill your journey. 2) Keep your eyes and your affections on the one that called you and let the journey happen as God lays it out for you.
Wherever you are in the journey, I pay God will use you along the way to touch the people that only you can touch and say the things that only you can say and do the things that only you can do.
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