I Can’t Expect It To Happen Overnight

The fountains of the deep and the windows of the heavens were closed, the rain from the heavens was restrained, and the waters receded from the earth continually. At the end of 150 days the waters had abated…  Genesis 8:2-3  ESV

Waters didn’t cover the earth in a day nor did God cause them to recede in a day.  God sent a wind, the wind of His Spirit, to blow over the earth.  The same breath that had been active in creation was now active in re-creation. As anxious as Noah and his family were to place their feet on dry ground, the emergence of a new life came gradually and at a pace much slower than they would have chosen.

I once recall meeting the husband of a woman who had been ritually abused throughout her childhood.  Her emotional and psychological damage was profound.  He loved her, ached for her healing, and believed that God would completely rid her of all her painful memories and the scars that accompanied them.  He envisioned it happening while she knelt at a church altar and lived for the day when she would go forward, kneel, and arise strong and free.  I voiced my concern to him over, what I believed, were false hopes.  I urged him to remember that God does indeed heal psychological and emotional wounds but He does so gradually.

Times of captivity never unfold overnight. A series of choices precede the wilderness.   If God just healed the past in one fell swoop, we would not have the opportunity to learn wisdom.  Dismantling the cage, one bar at a time, has great benefits.  In the disassembly, God gives wisdom about each piece.  He delights to see each of us discover the truths He knows will bring freedom.  In the pain, there is one stepping stone after another of hope and faith.

Are you straining under the hand of God’s sovereignty?  Are you longing for a new morning, one where yesterday’s agony just disappears?  He will give you the grace to adjust your expectations and to know that God heals incrementally.  He sends the wind of His Spirit and it blows across the soul to bring divine insight.  Over time, re-creation occurs, and a solid mental, emotional, and spiritual framework is built to stand the test of time.  The new spiritual landscape will appear as Noah’s new earth; a fruitful place to live on the memories of the treasures God gave in the dark. 

Captivity would be worthless if I never learned anything.  Thank you for leading me out of my wilderness one revelation at a time.  Amen