Lessons From The Wilderness

For everything there is a season, a time for every activity under heaven.

Ecclesiastes 3:1

ARE YOU TORN BETWEEN what you really want to do with your life and what you have to do to pay the bills? You are not alone. This is a real tension for many Christian men.

God has gifted each of us with unique talents, passions, and opportunities. If our hearts are in step with God’s, it’s okay to pursue this unique calling. But to get there, we may go through seasons of waiting, of frustration, of slogging through jobs we just don’t like very much. Moses spent forty years in the wilderness. Joseph spent many years unjustly imprisoned. David used up almost two decades running from Saul.

Looking back, we know that each of these seasons was necessary for the growth and development of their leadership. And so it is with you. The difficult job you’re enduring can teach you patience while providing for your family. So don’t take your eye off the ball. Work hard to develop the character God will use when it’s your turn to step into your calling.

Embrace each season as an opportunity from God. When the timing is right, He will not fail to move in our lives to put us in a place of maximum influence for His Kingdom. Our job is to listen to His voice, obey what we know to be true from His Word, and live our lives in radical service to those He has placed around us.

BOTTOM LINE

If you’re not currently doing the kind of work you’d like to be doing, that doesn’t necessarily mean that you’ve missed God’s will. Be patient and prayerful.

Moment of Strength: Ecclesiastes 3