A Story of Preparation

Waiting. How do you handle it? Do you get frustrated when things take longer than anticipated? Do you give up when you can’t see the next step? Do you feel helpless when you cannot control the timing of certain events? Do you get impatient when something new is on the horizon but it just hasn’t arrived yet?

Too often we get the concept of waiting all wrong. Lately, God has been teaching me to appreciate the waiting and take full advantage of it. I certainly have not mastered this challenge, but I am learning. I am learning that instead of getting frustrated or sitting around feeling helpless, I should see my waiting as a time of preparation.

Look at the example of Zacharias’s son John. Before he was conceived his father was visited by an angel and John was given a very specific life assignment – to prepare the way for Jesus the Messiah. Then, even prior to his birth, John began fulfilling his purpose. In Luke 1 we read about how Jesus’ mother Mary came to visit John’s mother Elizabeth. At the time of this visit, both women were pregnant with miracle babies. As soon as Mary came into Elizabeth’s home and greeted her, baby John leaped inside his mother. He was giving testimony to who Mary’s baby was. This was no ordinary child. This was the Son of God.

While John was still an infant, Zacharias’s voice was restored and he cried out in praise and prophecy. Jesus had come to redeem the people of Israel and set them free from captivity. And John would be the prophet of God Most High preparing the way for Jesus.

John’s life began with a lot of action, but from the time John is 8 days old until about 30 years later (Luke 3:23), we know very little about his life. In fact, Scripture only gives us this little glimpse, “And the child continued to grow and to become strong in spirit, and he lived in the deserts until the day of his public appearance to Israel.” (Luke 1:80 NASB)

John had a clear purpose and a clear assignment from God, but it was not yet time for his ministry. Why? Because John’s ministry was not about John. It was all about Jesus. And it was not about John’s timing, it was about God’s timing.

While he was waiting, John was not sitting around idly. He was actively preparing for his assignment. John was growing up both physically and spiritually. I love how he is described as becoming “strong in spirit.” John was growing in his faith and learning to follow God’s spirit. He set himself apart in solitude and silence until the day came for him to become a public figure.

There is so much I can learn from John. Too many days, I start thinking that my life and my serving is about me. Then, I get frustrated. I get tired of waiting. I want to give up. But the truth is my life, my ministry, my calling, and my gifting is not about me and what makes me feel good. It is about God and God’s plan. And God’s plan does not always unfold in my timing.

Some days when I am waiting, I start fretting. Or questioning. Or complaining. Instead, I should be preparing. While I do not have control over God’s time, I do have control over how I use today. I can choose to waste my days, or I can choose to grow. I can choose to question or I can choose to learn from every opportunity in front of me.

When John’s public ministry began, he described his relationship to Jesus this way, “He must increase, but I must decrease.” (John 3:30) I wonder what would happen if that became our focus? I wonder, if we were most concerned about Jesus increasing, would we worry less? Would we worship more? Would we appreciate the blessings of today? Would we be more concerned about God’s assignment and less about personal recognition?