How long must I struggle with anguish in my soul, with sorrow in my heart every day? How Long will my enemy have the upper hand? Turn and answer me, O LORD my God! Restore the sparkle to my eyes, or I will die.--Ps.13:2-3
I couldn't help to be reminded of how often we go through tough seasons of life (3,5,10,40 years). These seasons can vary from person to person. I'm not sure if our own stubbornness affects the length of time or if that is God's timing. Either way it is real. Moses experienced 40 years of shepherding until God had him lead the Hebrew people out of Egypt. Prior to that he had spent 40 years in training. To top it off he had to endure the 40 years of wandering with that griping bunch of Hebrews in the wilderness. David had to wait several years and put up being hunted down before he actually became king. ---In between we pray as if God has forgotten about us. He may be waiting for us to get over something. He may be waiting for us to come around to His way of thinking. He may be training us through life experiences. It is good to pray during these times. But there is one thing for sure, that time is not a waste of time. While I spent 15 years in the tire business and felt like a "fish out of water", God used that time to train me in life experiences for what only He knew I needed. Then when the call came to preach, there was more time in waiting and preparing. Learn from those years. It's not a waste of time. Time is all you have. Reflect on your time. What positive things can you apply? If you dwell on the negative you will not progress. In fact, you may stay stuck. Maybe it took that time for Moses, David, others to be on the same page with God. Maybe they needed to get over something. Jesus had to wait 30 years to do his thing. Don't you think he was capable at 20...25? "O LORD my God! Restore the sparkle to my eyes."
