Finding Purpose in the Seasons of Life

The waiting process is something we all have to go through at one point in our life or the other. There are different types of waiting in life and no one is exempted. It is a class you must go through. You can’t wake up at 8:00 am and want the clock to change to 12:00 pm straightaway; that won’t happen. You’ll have to wait for another four hours to get to midday. So having fists about it won’t make it any faster or sooner.

I’ve seen people being grumpy and throwing tantrums in their waiting period. I’ve had mine as well, and it was not just once or few times, they were many, and I’ve lost count of them. Some of them I have complained, got angry, seek counsel from people around and thought perhaps there was something I did wrong that got me into that situation. However, in all that time, I just increased tension and added anxiety and worry to my diet which was all uncalled for, if I had just trusted God, have my ears to His heart and practice active listening to His voice.

Just like the airport terminal. Many wait at this stop listening for the next direction to the route heading to their destination. Just because you got to the terminal doesn’t mean that you’ve arrived at the boarding gate. You’ll have to ask for direction to the boarding gate where you’ll be led to the waiting flight if you don’t know where it is or how to get there.  Being at the right terminal gate is very crucial to getting the flight to your destination. You can’t be at terminal 2 gate 5 and complaining about flight delay when you’re supposed to be at terminal 3 gate 10. That is a waste of time and unnecessary reaction from your side.

Some months ago I found myself struck in a particular journey in my life where I couldn’t determine whether to turn right or left, sit down or stand up, walk or run, or just to soar high effortlessly into what I sense God was calling me to do. The thoughts of how do I get there, how to do it, when to do it, and if it’s the right time to do it, just hover over my mind.

So on a particular day at work, I asked myself ‘what am doing here? Should I be in this office?  Am I at the right terminal for my destination flight?’ I’ve been asking God, ‘what do You have in store for me in this job? What do You want me to do? Am I waiting at the right place?’ I felt that time was running out, and I still haven’t done much for God yet nor have I done anything that is in line with my career or the purpose of God for my life.
You can be at the right terminal, standing at the exact gate for your next flight but miss the very crucial flight announcement which determines whether to proceed to the boarding area or flight cancellation update. If you don’t practise active listening to your flight announcement or direction, you may end up at the wrong gate no matter how early you were at the right terminal.

I realise that sometimes the flight gate can be changed by the airline at any point. So if you are not attentive enough, this can be missed.
Other times you may get at the right terminal and gate, but an extensive delay may occur where you just have to wait for the updated time patiently. You can’t force yourself to board when the gates are not yet open.

It is the same with waiting on God. You need to learn how to listen and recognise God’s voice in any situation you find yourself. Being at the right place and the right time He requested you to, contributes a lot to hearing and receiving what He has in store for you and the direction to your next level or destination. Because God spoke to you in your dream last night doesn’t mean that’s the only way He’s always going to speak to you. If you can’t distinguish His voice, then you will miss Him when He decides to use another method to communicate to you.

In the book of Habakkuk 1:5 and chapter 2:1-3, the prophet stood at the right spot, did what God asked him to do at the right time, and was listening to what God has to say to him. He waited patiently until when God showed up and gave him the message. It was there that God gave him the vision which was also for an appointed time, (God’s own time) to manifest.

You find yourself in a situation where all you wanted to do is give up, turn back and call it quit. But at times God may ask you to wait in such a place even when it doesn’t make sense to stay at that spot. And most times, the very place you want to give up on, might be the route to your next level. But there is a thin line between giving up and holding on; that one can miss if he/she focuses on the current situation or circumstance at hand.

What do you do in such situation? You fight with persistence faith. The faith to hold on, wait and listen to God’s voice, knowing and believing that He cares about you no matter where you find yourself. He will never leave you, and that He is right there with you in the midst of your troubled situation? I was there when I thought things are going to fall apart. To be precise, they were falling apart. The only thing that kept me standing was ‘GRACE’. God’s grace! Even when I didn’t realise it, God was right in the midst of it all. Thank God I didn’t give up, I held on even when it wasn’t pleasant, and before I knew it, the flight to my next level arrived. Though it looks delayed, in my own eyes and judgement, but it was never late in God’s time and schedule. He is always on time. And when it’s not yet time according to His schedule, no amount of reaction from your side will get Him to do what you want, out of His timeframe.

Remember that He is a loving Father, and He has your best interest in mind. He sees the end way before the beginning, and He knows the right time to intervene in our daily life’s activities.

Let His time be your time as you learn to lean and depend on Him!

Comments are welcome!