Time Zone
By Margaret D. Mitchell
Week of February 19, 2023
Sometimes, we forget there are four spiritual seasons, just like there are four natural seasons. The four spiritual seasons are sowing, reaping, pruning and storage.
We may hear of sowing and reaping most often. And we are made painfully aware of pruning seasons when they come. But there seems to be little mention of storage seasons. I don't know about you, but storage is the season from which I've been transitioning.
Storage is when God stores you up for something greater ahead. He separates you out and zones you off unto Himself for a time of intimacy with Him. He pulls you aside to set you apart from something and for something that's important to you but feels far away, even geographically. This something often involves our biggest, most anticipated dreams-come-true.
Some describe it as a hidden season or a wilderness season. But it's a gracious time of preparation in which we can revel with God and be transformed by His Word and Spirit of Truth. It's a time of deeper enjoyment of Him as our greatest Love.
Ecclesiastes 3:11-12 tells us that "He has also planted eternity [a sense of divine purpose] in the human heart [a mysterious longing which nothing under the sun can satisfy, except God]—yet man cannot find out (comprehend, grasp) what God has done (His overall plan) from the beginning to the end. I know that there is nothing better for them than to rejoice and to do good as long as they live."
So, just as the natural world in which we live, each of God's seasons flow into one another. And as one facilitates the other, we experience His sequence of time, purpose and corresponding actions. We can know that, according to Ecclesiastes 3:1-8, there is a time for everything and that God makes everything "beautiful and appropriate" in its time (Ec 3:11).
Living this out, we can see there’s no use in struggling to make things happen in our own way and time. We are to be satisfied with what we have at any given time until God brings change. At the same time, we are to hold onto hope in our hearts for more of Him to pour into and out of our lives. As we look for the new, He will add and take away what He knows we need. In doing so, we are made new; and we grow in making Him our greatest priority.
It seems, each year, when the calendar is about to roll over, there's a spectrum of predictions by well-meaning people. Some are truly Words of God and some are hopes and dreams expressed. But God's truth is that He has a timing for it all. And He will often reveal His timing for key events to us in advance as it benefits us.
I’ve read prophetic Words on social media that list shifts that will happen in individuals' lives this year. And if I didn't know God's timing for me, personally, 2023 would end in disappointment, as His timing for each individual often varies.
His timing is intricate. There are appointed times and fixed (due) times for events. There are births and deaths. There are mega shifts. There are needs. And in-between these markers, God works in, through and for us incrementally, bringing us into higher holiness. In fact, in all my times of praying for people over the years, I've never seen a sudden miracle that didn't have a trail of increments attached.
We prosper as our souls prosper. And as we seek God, we grow in Him and come closer to the "suddenly" He has for us. For an event to occur, much needs to be worked out in our lives and in the lives of others, who are assigned to be a part of our events. This requires patience and faith in God.
So, it's imperative we sync with Him in His timeline for us as individuals and also realize it's not just about us. Many events simply will not happen until it's God's time, because for them to occur, God has to align others, too. They are important to His heart, and the effects are significant.
In this kind of time zone, where we have been set apart, waiting for our big crescendo moments to occur, we can remember that He will not fail us. We can know that we are well-prepared and purposed for what's right in front of us. And we can trust Him to make it all happen in His standard of time, knowing we’ll respond appropriately and beautifully.
Pray with me if you will . . .
Dear Lord,
Thank You that, as You process us through life, we can know and rest in Your timing for us. Thank You for zoning us precisely where we need to be at precisely Your right time for precisely Your purposes. I trust Your heart for me, including Your timeline.
In Jesus' Mighty Name,
Amen.
Two days after I wrote this devo, our Lord gave me a Word to share . . .
MANY ARE ABOUT TO BE TESTED IN NEW LEADERSHIP ROLES
There are things God has assigned you to lead but not until His time for you. At times, in your immaturity and impatience, you have felt frustrated. But God is about to open your gate; and when He does, you will know precisely what to do. The strategic downloads, full of wisdom, have already been given to you by God. And just like Joshua and Caleb, you will need to walk them out with a commitment to careful obedience and a whole heart. You will find that you are well able. You will find that you will know what to do, unlike times past. You will find that, even when troubles hit, they will not have the negative impact on you they once did. They will roll off quicker, and you will rise as you run to Me to pour out Your heart for the comfort of further guidance.
Trust Me, says the Lord of Hosts. I will direct you. I will command you. I will continue to set you apart for greatness. The great mysteries that are found in My Name, I will reveal to you. You will know what to do and even more quickly than before. I have made you a sharp instrument. Have confidence in this. You will not fail because I will not fail you. Depend on Me, says The Lord of Hosts. Everything you need is found in Me. Turn swiftly to Me. I will be there, waiting for you, as I have been here, mighty man and woman of God. I love you. And I will respond quickly. -Your Father
Jeremiah 33:3 AMP - "Call to Me and I will answer you, and tell you [and even show you] great and mighty things, [things which have been confined and hidden], which you do not know and understand and cannot distinguish."
Margaret D. Mitchell is the Founder of God's Love at Work, a marketplace outreach purposed to share God's greatest power source - the love of Christ.
Originally published Sunday, 19 February 2023.
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