God’s Work, God’s Way

Take ye heed, watch and pray: for ye know not when the time is (Mark 13:33). For we are HIS WORKMANSHIP, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them (Ephesians 2:10).

1. God trained Joseph over a 13 year period to prepare him for preserving the people of Israel. It involved all kinds of dilemmas involving hatred, prosperity, prison, pain and sorrow.
2. Moses training included 40 years on the backside of the desert after some of the best training the world could offer in Egypt. There, facing the perils of the desert as a shepherd God transformed him into a liberator.

We do not always understand what God is doing in our lives, but as you read these accounts in Scripture (and others), it is obvious that God is greatly concerned over His servants, perhaps even more than the work to which He called them. Over a period of years, God built into their lives character, leadership, accountability and dependency.

We do not always like the path that God chooses in order to mature us into the likeness of Jesus Christ. No, we do not always like our schooling and we complain, grumble and during this time some leave the course thinking it too difficult. You do not find any place in Scripture where Joseph is complaining. He recognized something all of us must recognize in the midst of what we might consider turmoil in our lives and that is the fact that the Lord was with him (Genesis 39:3, 16, 21).

Genuine spiritual growth is from the inside out and both Joseph and Moses allowed the Spirit of God to mature them inwardly so that they were useable outwardly for His glory. Yes, there are times when we get our eyes off of God’s plan and we do something that takes us off course. There is no person that ever lived that moved from being a human being to being a perfect, sinless, supernatural saint, though there are some who have that expectation, both in themselves and others. Moses killed a man in Egypt, which greatly increased the training time. Even when he proved his readiness as a servant of God, he still publicly displayed his anger when he struck the rock twice in the wilderness when God’s instruction was to speak to the rock. God in His mercy still allowed him to bring the children to the edge of the Promised Land, but He did not allow Moses to enter it.

There are times in our lives when facing great difficulty that we go to the Lord and in desperation seek His immediate resolve. For some of us, God desires that we travail in prayer or do some serious study in His Word.

Several years ago, we had to have a new well dug. We found water at a little over 125 feet, but it did not appear that it was good water. From the perspective of cost and time, it would have been easy to say that it was sufficient, even though it was not. The drilling continued to a great shaft of water 165 feet down. Indeed, it did cost more and it did take more time but the quality of the water was superior.

In our spiritual lives, we need to do some serious heart searching to determine if we truly want what God wants. We must never be content just to get by. It is human nature not to want to pay the price for allowing God to do His work in our lives. If Joshua and Moses settled for what they could do, the children of Israel might still be in Egypt today.

William Carey was convinced that God wanted him to go to India with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The road to get there was extremely difficult due to the opposition and the need to raise support in a climate where no one else shared his vision. Then when he finally got to the field, he labored over seven years before he saw his first convert. Then there were still problems of persecution. There were serious problems that followed and yet he never gave up. He said, “expect great things from God; attempt great things for God” and God honored his faithfulness. He and his team translated the Bible into 34 Asian languages, established churches and 19 mission stations, formed 100 rural schools, encouraged the education of girls and started the Horticultural Society of India. He also served as a professor at Fort William College in Calcutta, started the first Indian newspaper and introduced the concept of the savings bank to assist poor farmers.

Warren Wiersbe stated, “You cannot have fruit without roots, and you cannot have roots unless you dig deep; and that takes time.” I wish I had learned that early in my ministry. Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and He shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say on the LORD (Psalm 27:14). Dig deep and allow the Spirit of God to do in you what you cannot do for yourself. We should all want God to use us, but our prayer must coincide with God’s will. Instead of praying, “God use me,” we need to be praying, “God, make me useable,” and that just might take some time. Are you willing to allow God that right?

George Stiekes held successful pastorates in churches in Michigan and Washington among other places. He currently resides in North Carolina and blogs at Reverent Reflections. We recommend his ministry and republish his material by permission.