Seasons of Preparation

Lately I’ve been thinking a lot about the seasons we go through in life. Some seasons seem obvious . . . planting and reaping, birth and death, love and loss . . . but there are also so many seasons in between.

I tend to be a worrier. I worry about all the could be’s and what if’s. Sometimes I try to look too far into the future and try to see clearly through the cloud that seems to be ahead.

But here’s the thing. God never promises to show us the future. He just promises to prepare us for it. But we can be assured that if we allow His preparation in our hearts, we will always, always have what we need.

Think about how Noah must have felt whenever God told him to build the arc. So often, this story is looked at through the lens of faith, and that’s definitely a valid take-away. But what about his peace? His decision to trust God with his future by trusting Him with his present?

Imagine God tells you to start building an arc. Not exactly an easy task. He could’ve said, “Uh, an arc, God? Really? How about a regular sized boat? That would still take faith. That would work right?” But what Noah didn’t know at the time is that God had MUCH bigger plans all along. Plans that, through Noah’s faith to commit his future to the Lord and follow through with a season of preparation, God would essentially save creation from destruction.

Think about that. The power Noah had. What if Noah had said “no”? What if he’d said, “Maybe tomorrow, God. I’m busy today with real problems. Can’t you find someone else?”

God knew all along how He wanted to use Noah, even if Noah didn’t see it himself.

God also knows how He wants to use you.

Maybe you’re going through a season of preparation right now. Maybe God’s told you to “build the arc,” so to speak, with no sign of the flood coming. It can be so easy to put the purposes of God to the backburner as we pursue things that seem to be more pressing. But imagine what would’ve happened had Noah given up on the arc. Imagine how he would’ve felt when the flood arrived on any ordinary day of the week. Imagine what could happen if you give up on your own calling.

If you find yourself in a season of preparation right now with no end in sight, I want to encourage you. Things generally change when we least expect it. Your time could be sooner than you think. Embrace your calling.

“But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”—Philippians 3:13-14