Embracing The ‘Now But Not Yet’

As for God, His way is perfect; the word of the Lord is flawless. He is a shield for all who take refuge in Him.

Psalm 18:30

Waiting is foreign to most of us since our culture has conditioned us to expect instant gratification and immediate results in most areas of our lives. If you are hungry, you don’t have to go through the rigorous process of meal prep and cooking since you can order in; if you want to talk to a friend, you can easily call them instead of waiting for the next time you see them. And if you want recognition and affirmation, you simply need to log in to your favourite social media platform and share a post.

While there are benefits to the advancements that provide instant access and efficiency, it’s essential to recognize that not everything in life can or should be immediate. As Christians, we submit to a God who is counter-cultural. And He orchestrates things such that spiritual growth, personal relationships, professional achievements, and even our faith journeys often require patience, perseverance, and a willingness to endure seasons of waiting.

My sojourn over the last few months led me to a waiting room. And I must confess that this process has been excruciating. Like David in Psalm 70:1, I pray that God would come quickly and help me. But in the waiting, I began to think about some people in the Bible who waited for the fulfilment of a promise because I knew that I needed tools to help me wait well.

Interlude:

I listened to a podcast a few days ago, and the person talked about our obsession with the finish line. And as I think about it, I realise that most of my pressure comes from wanting to get to the finish line – in this case, the fulfilment of the promise. Yet, this in-between offers a great opportunity for communion because the promise was, ‘I will be with you.‘ This obsession then makes us nullify the gift of a Holy God who condescends to come and walk with us and sometimes carries us, through all of life’s circumstances. One of the statements in the Westminster shorter catechism is that ‘The chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever.‘ But we cannot enjoy God in the now if our minds are consumed with thoughts about the destination.  

That said, I still think we must hold the tension between living with eternity in mind (in this case, the destination) and being fully present right where God has placed us. It brings great comfort to know that our present circumstances are not the final chapter of the script God is writing. Rather, there are better days ahead. We, too, like Jesus, can endure our versions of the cross, because there is joy set before us.

Contend for Your Faith

Whenever I think about waiting, I am cautioned about how easy it is to lose faith. In Luke 18:8, Jesus asks, “… but when the son of man comes, will He find faith in the world?” I am learning that it is very easy to become discouraged and to give up on God if we feel like He is taking His sweet time. But we must remember He is a good God who cares deeply about us – His children. Warren Wiersbe says, “When God permits His children to go through the furnace, He keeps His eye on the clock and His hand on the thermostat. His loving heart knows how much and how long.”

In the fullness of time, God will make everything work out for our good and for His glory. But we must contend for the faith in the in-between. Elisabeth Elliot observed, “Faith’s most severe tests come not when we see nothing, but when we see a stunning array that seems to prove our faith vain.“ This was depicted when God sent Moses to deliver the Israelites from Pharaoh.

When God commissioned Moses, He said, “I have indeed seen the misery of my people in Egypt. I have heard them crying because of their slave drivers. I am concerned about their suffering. So I have come down to rescue them from the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land into a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey“(Ex. 3:7-8 NIV). The Bible continues to narrate in Ex. 4:30-31 “, and Aaron told them everything the Lord had said to Moses. He also performed the signs before the people, and they believed. “

But as soon as Moses confronted Pharaoh, trouble multiplied for the Israelites. While they were initially supplied with straw for making bricks, they were now expected to gather straw for themselves and still complete the allocated quota of brick-making. It simply didn’t make sense how God would fulfil His promise of deliverance, yet it felt like the Israelites had moved from the frying pan into the fire.

As I write this, I am reading through some journal entries from October 2019. I distinctly remember coming from a prayer centre after a few days of prayer and fasting and being assured (in my spirit) that God had already answered. But the entry from the next day records that I got a ‘regret’ email for an opportunity I was pursuing then. And my spirit was crushed. I remembered these entries because I can remember how broken I was. Now I know that sometimes God leads by what He doesn’t provide. But at that moment, there was deep sorrow and anguish.

When Moses reported God’s assurance to free the Israelites from slavery with an outstretched arm and mighty acts of judgement, they didn’t listen to him because of their discouragement and cruel bondage (Ex. 6:6-12). And this made Moses all the more discouraged. He asked God why Pharaoh would listen to him and let the Israelites go if the Israelites didn’t listen to him. But the fullness of time for the deliverance of the Israelites had come. And the discouragement of Moses and the Israelites did not make the promise of God to deliver them of no effect.

We know God fulfilled His promise to deliver the Israelites from Egypt with an outstretched hand. But you may also know that of those who were 20 years old and above when they left Egypt, only Caleb and Joshua made it into the promised land. Everyone else died in the wilderness because they rebelled against the Lord in the wilderness and doubted that He was well able to bring them into Canaan, in spite of their supposed disadvantage (Num. 13:28).

Caleb and Joshua contended for their faith and believed that if God was pleased with them, He would lead them into that land (Num. 14:8). Their eyes were set on The Almighty God, and they did not compare themselves to the enemies that they would be up against, because they knew what truly mattered was whether God was on their side. Herein is a vital lesson if we are going to navigate the ‘Now but Not Yet’ still believing in God – take God at His word. If He said it, He will do it. He is ABLE TO FULFIL ALL OF HIS PROMISES. Will you trust Him?

Serve

You’ll probably think of it as a cliche, but I will say it anyway: “While you wait, do what waiters do – serve.” Waiting is not fatalistic resignation. Instead, it allows us to mature and become people who can handle the blessings we are waiting for, without their breaking us.

When Joseph was sold as a slave, Potiphar, one of Pharaoh’s officials, bought him. Granted, being a slave was not ideal, considering that he was Jacob’s favourite child. But working under Potiphar prepared him for eventual service as next in line to Pharaoh. The Bible records in Gen. 39 that “When his master saw that the Lord was with him and gave him success in everything he did, Joseph found favour in his eyes and became his attendant. Potiphar put him in charge of his household, and he entrusted to his care everything he owned.” (V.3-4). I suspect that it is in this service that Joseph learned skills he would later need to manage Egypt.

Joseph was only 17 when he was sold as a slave. And the picture I have of him as a young boy was that, unlike his brothers who went to graze the flock, he stayed behind with his father (Gen. 37:12-14). It is possible he didn’t have his own experiences to back up his knowledge of God. And, he probably was, in no way, equipped to be strategically positioned for the fulfilment of the dream that God gave him.

Potiphar’s household was a good learning ground for Joseph to test out theories on leadership, administration, and organization, among other skills. Also, his resolve to not sin against God was tested here when Potiphar’s wife tried to seduce him, and he chose not to sin against God. We know that this decision didn’t bear the fruit he thought it would, but the repercussions didn’t mean that he was now outside the will of God. He was put in the prison where the king’s prisoners were confined, and it was one of these prisoners who would later mention his name before Pharaoh. It is notable that even while in prison, “the warden put Joseph in charge of all those held in prison, and he was made responsible for all that was done there.” (Gen.39:22)

When the fullness of time came, Joseph was ready. He had been around Pharaoh’s servants long enough to know how to approach Pharaoh when he called for him. And he had the capacity to take up the responsibilities assigned to him and execute them with excellence. The best part is, because his character was refined in the waiting, he was not going to self-sabotage now that he was at the top.

Be Patient

I stumbled on this message while working on this article and highly recommend watching it. I suspect Providence had a hand in its being in my Instagram suggestion feeds because I needed to hear the message therein.

My watchword for 2023 is PERSEVERE. I didn’t just randomly pick it up. I am not very keen on Watchwords, but I needed a lifeline to help me navigate. And I kept hearing this word in my spirit, over and over again. Pst. McDowell defines perseverance as peace with God’s timing. I am running with that definition for the rest of this year!

God is a God of miracles, signs and wonders. But He is also a God of systems and processes. And we don’t get to choose how He reveals Himself in our lives. When Samuel anointed David as king over Israel, he was a young shepherd boy. But he took about 15 years to become king over all of Israel. Those years in between entailed him being a fugitive as he ran away from Saul, who wanted to kill him, and 7.5 years fighting with the house of Saul after Saul’s death. God hadn’t changed His mind about David’s anointing, but the manifestation of His promise necessitated process.

Abandoning the process too soon affects our outcomes. Had the Israelites given up on the 6th round, the wall of Jericho would not have collapsed, and they would have had to figure out another way into the city – this time in their strength. Thankfully, they followed through and saw the victory of God as He led them into the promised land.

When Abraham allowed Sarah’s doubts about ever having children to influence his actions, he birthed Ishmael with Hagar. This child, who was not the result of the promise, went on to cause trouble for the descendants of the child of the promise.

King Jehoash went to Elisha when Aram was against him. And Elisha instructed him to strike the ground as a symbol of the number of times he would have victory over Aram. The Bible records, “The man of God was angry with him and said, ‘You should have struck the ground five or six times; then you would have defeated Aram and completely destroyed it. But now you will defeat it only three times.'” (2 Kings 13:19). King Jehoash failed to acquire full victory over Aram because he abandoned the process.

Keep Hope Alive

Elisabeth Elliot writes, “Of one thing I am perfectly sure: God’s story never ends with ‘ashes.” So you can be sure that the story doesn’t end in your current chapter.

Some of the entries I made in October 2019 were fulfilled this year. The way I see it, I didn’t get a false assurance that God had already answered my prayers. It is just that these answers took 3.5 years to be revealed in the physical realm. And some remain unanswered.

Ultimately, God is writing His story through our lives. That means that we are not in control and don’t get to determine what happens and where. But we can be sure He will keep writing it until the last line is good.

It is ok if you are more than a little tender in your faith – wounded warriors win. Keep facing the light; keep walking towards home. A great cloud of witnesses is cheering you on – they have gone before you and conquered, and they cannot wait to see you on the other side of victory. Hang on! Press in! Look up!

Sovereign God, thank you that nothing is for nothing – that Your stories don’t end with ashes. Help us to keep our eyes fixed on you and our hearts set on your promises. Be our shield and the horn of our salvation through life’s fearful trials. In Jesus name, Amen.

E.N.

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