Sometimes before God brings you into a new season, He allows you to walk through a season that develops you. Your comfort may be challenged, your patience stretched, your faith tested, and familiar support may not always be available. It can feel like everything is becoming harder, but difficult seasons can produce something valuable within you.
God can use the process to build character, wisdom, endurance, humility, and deeper dependence on Him. Before greater opportunities come greater responsibilities, and character matters just as much as success. Don’t become so focused on reaching the destination that you miss what God can teach you along the journey. Keep praying, learning, growing, and allowing Him to shape your heart.
“Knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. Let endurance have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.” James 1:3–4.
Don’t despise the season that is stretching you. God can use today’s pressure to prepare you for tomorrow’s responsibility. Sometimes the greatest thing He develops before changing your circumstances is you.
Look at this: Joseph was sold into slavery; tempted and ran away; thrown into jail; interpreted dreams of fellow prisoners, was placed in charge of other prisoners… The amazing thing is a former prisoner whose dream Joseph had interpreted was the server of the Pharoah and had promised to share about Joseph’s divine ability; but was unable to speak to his master – the Pharoah until the Pharoah had a dream as the wine bearer did in prison. Joseph was sent to Egypt just for this purpose!
Genesis 50:20 states, “You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives“.
Context of the Verse
Who spoke it: Joseph spoke these words to his brothers.
The backstory: His brothers who initially planned to murder him in jealousy, ended up selling him into slavery years earlier out of jealousy and malice.
The outcome: Joseph rose to power in Egypt and saved his family—and many others—from a severe famine.
Key Meaning
Human intent vs. God’s plan: People may plan or do evil things to hurt you, but God has ultimate control and can use those situations for a greater purpose.
Redemption: God can turn painful experiences, betrayal, and suffering into a way to bring about good and save lives.
The saying, “Delayed obedience is disobedience,” is heard sometimes in advice to Christian parents and disciples. The idea behind the saying is that obedience requires prompt action. When an authority gives a command, we should jump to it, swiftly and happily. When God gives a command, His children should respond immediately with love and joyful alacrity. Any delay or partial compliance is an act of insubordination.
There are passages of Scripture that support the idea that delayed obedience is disobedience. The psalmist, for example, says, “I will hasten and not delay to obey your commands” (Psalm 119:60). We are to “seek the Lord while he may be found; call on him while he is near” (Isaiah 55:6). When it comes to obeying God’s command to repent and believe in Christ, “now is the time of God’s favor, now is the day of salvation” (2 Corinthians 6:2). No one should delay becoming a Christian.
Other passages seem to allow for a delay in obedience. For example, Jesus told a parable about two sons:
“There was a man who had two sons. He went to the first and said, ‘Son, go and work today in the vineyard.’
“‘I will not,’ he answered, but later he changed his mind and went.
“Then the father went to the other son and said the same thing. He answered, ‘I will, sir,’ but he did not go.
“Which of the two did what his father wanted?”
“The first,” they answered.
Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God ahead of you.”Jesus’ point in the parable, however, was not that delayed obedience is sanctioned but that eventual obedience is better than outright disobedience. In the context of the parable, sinners who come to faith late in life are better off than religious people who talk a good talk but never bend the knee to Christ.
An instance of true disobedience through delayed action is found in Numbers 14. The Israelites, on the verge of the Promised Land, rebelled against the Lord and refused to enter the land. In response, God consigned them to wander in the wilderness for forty years: “Turn back tomorrow and set out toward the desert” (Numbers 14:25). But the next morning, the people decided to obey the Lord after all: “Early the next morning they set out for the highest point in the hill country, saying, ‘Now we are ready to go up to the land the Lord promised. Surely we have sinned!’” (Numbers 14:40). Moses warned them not to go, that it was too late to obey now. “Nevertheless, in their presumption they went up toward the highest point in the hill country. . . . Then the Amalekites and the Canaanites who lived in that hill country came down and attacked them and beat them down all the way to Hormah” (Numbers 14:44–45).
So, the people of Israel tried to postpone their obedience to God’s command to enter the Promised Land. And their delay by one day, occasioned by a lack of faith, proved disastrous. Their failure to follow orders at the right time was an act of rebellion and ungodly fear.
But we should also consider the case of the returned exiles in Ezra’s day. Ezra discovered that many Israelites had married foreign women, which broke God’s rule of being separate and holy (Ezra 9:12). Ezra reacted with deep sorrow, fasting, and prayer (Ezra 9:35) as he confessed the community’s sin before God. The people who had intermarried were convicted of their sin and took an oath to separate from their foreign wives and preserve their covenant with God (Ezra 10:1–5).
The situation seemed to demand urgent action because of the severity of the sin, but the people did not rush into a decision; rather, they decided that “this matter cannot be taken care of in a day or two” (Ezra 10:13). They proposed a time of investigation to sort out the details of an admittedly complicated matter: “‘Let everyone in our towns who has married a foreign woman come at a set time, along with the elders and judges of each town.’ . . . Ezra the priest selected men who were family heads, one from each family division, and all of them designated by name [and] they sat down to investigate the cases” (Ezra 10:14, 16–17). The examination period lasted three months.
In the case of the returned exiles, the time delay was not due to indifference, fear, or a lackadaisical attitude. Far from being a rebellious act, their delayed obedience arose from caution, fairness, and a desire to arrive at proper judgments.
A delay in obedience is often the result of procrastination, fear, or a desire not to inconvenience ourselves. In such cases, the delay represents disobedience. James 4:17 states, “Remember, it is sin to know what you ought to do and then not do it” (NLT).
But, in certain cases, a delay in obedience is the result of careful consideration of how best to obey. Sometimes, extricating ourselves from a complex moral or relational quagmire in obedience to God requires deliberation, discernment, and proper timing.
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to Him, and He will make make your paths straight”
Proverbs 3:4-6
This is my absolute favorite verse in the whole Bible. The translation I memorized finishes with “and He will direct your path”. For me, it encompasses how we are to live life. Add Romans 8:28 (“All things work together for good to those who Love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.”) and there is no reason for worry or concern, right? Well, that’s easier said than done.
For years, I’ve written these two verses in every birthday, graduation and wedding card – they are verses to live life by – in times of joy or hardship, plenty or want, health or sickness. Trust that God will never leave or forsake you. Believe that He will guide your decisions. Know that He will open windows and close doors, directing you according to His will. Recognize that every step is for your ultimate good.
Sure, we can choose to do what we want, ignoring His voice, but isn’t that shooting ourselves in the foot? Since the beginning of time, we humans want it our way and sadly, our pride often gets in the way and that’s exactly what happens. But God gives us a glimpse into the future with these verses – HE will direct your path and HE will work everything together for your good. That’s a win win!
“Come to Me all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke on you and learn of Me, for I am meek and lowly in heart, and you shall find rest to your souls. For My yoke is easy, and My burden is light.” Matt 11:28-30
Dear God, thank You for Your grace and for a Love that never gives up on me, even when I struggle with the same things over and over again. Your Word in Galatians 5:16 says, “Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.” God, help me walk in the Spirit today and not give in to what my flesh wants. Forgive me for the excuses I’ve made for sin and for the habits that have taken root in my life. I’m leaning on Your grace right now, knowing that when I’m weak, You are strong. I’m giving You every old habit, every old way of thinking, and asking You to break my connection to all of it. I’m a new creation, and today I’m choosing to chase after You. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Meaning and Context
The Speaker: The Lord Jesus is speaking to the Apostle Paul.
The Situation: Paul asked God three times to remove a physical hardship or trial (his “thorn in the flesh”).
The Lesson: God provided sufficient grace instead of removing the struggle, demonstrating that human weakness highlights divine strength. [1, 2, 3]
