God’s blessings flow to us in an organic way. There is seed time (when we make choices and set our sights on new outcomes, diligently taking step after step in a conscious direction) and there is harvest (when the promise of God comes to pass).
Why might God choose this method of growth and breakthrough? Wouldn’t it be easier to simply inherit God’s promises the moment we see them with the eyes of revelation and lay claim to them? Why should we have to wait for that which the Lord wants us to have?
The answer lies in the transformative power of spiritual waiting. Biblical waiting is not like one does at a bus stop, going nowhere while hoping for transport to arrive. This form of waiting is dead time, in which no progress is made. Biblical waiting has a much deeper meaning. Isaiah 40:31,
‘But those who wait on the Lord
Shall renew their strength;
They shall mount up with wings like eagles,
They shall run and not be weary,
They shall walk and not faint.’
The word wait in the original Hebrew means to look eagerly for, and to intertwine yourself with (the Lord) as a strand of a rope is intertwined with the others to form a stronger cord. Waiting on the Lord is an act of faith and hope, anticipating a promised outcome. The process of waiting involves us drawing near to the Lord, intertwining our very being into his until there is no separation between the two. The outcome of waiting is to be moulded to his image, readied to receive the blessings he would impart. It is preparation, it is growth, it is getting ourselves ready to receive. Biblical waiting is not passive.
This should inform our understanding of seed time and harvest, and of ‘due season’. God is not arbitrary, choosing to delay the keeping of his word; he is simply getting us ready to receive. In this sense, ‘due season’ is as soon as possible, and our co-operation with the Holy Spirit defines the speed and fulness of our reception of grace. 1 Peter 5:6-7
‘Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.’
The above said, some breakthroughs and healings take many years. People who are suffering should not be guilted or pressured into freedom. Some wounds hurt profoundly, and undermine a person’s ability to function. In my early twenties I was utterly crushed by life and could barely conceive of recovery. The healing which brought me out of the darkest pit happened in stages, the first of which took 18 months, and the rest, 20 years. If I’d felt guilt or pressure about the speed of my recovery, I’d never have made it out at all.
The reason some healings take so long is not that the Lord delays, or has some arbitrary timescale, but because the distance between where we are now and where we want and need to be can be vast. If that’s you, and the journey ahead of you looks long and slow, I pray for your comfort in the Lord. His company is all you need, and every tiny step is to be celebrated. There is no pressure from above to reach absolute victory. If you need to feel the softness and compassion of the Lord, I delivered this talk during lockdown, which I pray will comfort you in difficult times.
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