The Journey or the Destination?

The Journey or the Destination?
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Hebrews 10:36 "For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise."

David was anointed by Samuel to be the next king over Israel. It took over ten years to come to pass and during those years, he was hunted by King Saul and the armies of Israel. David lived as a fugitive, hiding in caves and living in the desert. Yet, God's word eventually came to pass and David ascended to the throne of Israel as the nation's favorite king and the "man after God's own heart."

Elisha was plowing in the fields one day when Elijah arrived and threw his mantle around Elisha. He was called by God to be the replacement for Elijah. Like David, it took over ten years for the mantle to fall on him permanently and his powerful ministry to begin.

Jesus himself spent many years in obscurity before beginning his three-year ministry.

The key ingredient in each person's life was patience. God needed to develop great character in each one of them before entrusting them with a ministry to the masses. God is more interested in the journey than the destination. We, on the other hand, are more interested in arriving at the destination than developing character along the way. God told us in our opening verse that we have need of patience, and every one of us can say "amen" to that!

Many Christians complain about not receiving the manifestation of their healing, when God is more interested in seeing the fruit of the Spirit developed. Prosperity is promised by God to each one of us, but only "a sour soul prospers" (3 John 2). Just as you do not give a weapon to a child or an automobile to a ten-year-old, God does not give everything to us at the moment we ask. He does not even give them to us the moment He informs us of their existence. God gave Joseph a dream of his future throne and authority, but many years and difficult experiences passed before the dream came true.

How Thick is Your Deck?

A navy battleship has large guns and cannons on the deck. These are used to shell the coastlines and battleships of the enemy. The recoil of a large gun can slow the ship down by a few knots when shot from the bow. Because these weapons are so powerful, the deck of the ship has to be very thick to keep the guns from ripping themselves out. Many layers of steel are used to keep the ship intact. It takes strength to handle power.

This is the reason that God desires to build a foundation of the fruit of the Holy Spirit in our lives before entrusting us with the gifts of the Spirit and a powerful ministry to the people. This foundation of character is developed through prayer, study and meditation of the Word of God, and great patience. Character takes time, but it is well worth it. It is better to move into a ministry after much time in preparation than to jump too soon and end up shipwrecked. When we wait on the Lord we exchange our strength for His. Then we can mount up with wings as eagles, run and not be weary, walk and not faint (Isaiah 40:31).

Bob Yandian