Run!

       Do you ever wonder what God is up to? Why am I in this circumstance? Can this struggle really work for good? I read recently that no one ever complains that God is working too quickly in their lives. Honestly, I spend a lot of time in prayer, asking God to move things along.
If you ask my family, they will tell you that two things will set me off faster than any others. I can’t stand waste or inefficiency, and if you think about it, inefficiency is really just wasted time. I still can’t believe I’ve written seven and a half books and not given up because for many, it would seem like a waste of time. But I don’t write because I have to, I write because I can’t not write. The stories would drive me crazy, begging to be put down into words, but don’t get me wrong, I am always tweaking the process to find the most efficient way to write a book.
On this publishing journey, I have learned that God is still working even when I don’t see Him. How many times in your life have you looked back and given God credit for the work He was doing while you couldn’t understand your circumstances? I’m raising both my hands here because when I really think about it, I see His work in every part of my life, even in the really messy parts. But the truth is, while we may see sprouts or buds, we don’t always get to see the fruits of our labor.
With all this talk of waiting for God, I was surprised when I read this passage from John. Jesus has just met the woman at the well and told her that He is the Messiah and that those who drink the water he provides will bever be thirsty again.
When the disciples return, they ask him if he wants food, and Jesus responds, “My food is to do the will of Him who sent me and to finish his work. Do you not say, ‘four months more and then the harvest’? I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest. Even now the reaper draws his wages, even now he harvests the crop for eternal life, so that the sower and the reaper may be glad together. Thus the saying, ‘one sows and another reaps’ is true. I sent you to reap what you have not worked for. Others have done the hard work, and you have reaped the benefits of their labor.” John 4:34-38
Did you hear that? Jesus is not asking the disciples to wait. He is declaring that the time is right, that they will reap the rewards of someone else’s labor. This reminds me of when my daughter played her one season of softball. Y’all, she is a very bright and talented girl, but she is not much of a softball player and that is putting it nicely. She only hit the ball twice the entire season although she did win the title Miss Congeniality. While she wasn’t running the bases, her teammates were amazing, and her team won the championship that year. She was happy to accept her trophy for the work of others. (And don’t try to convince me that they needed her smiles and waves just as much as hitting and catching. She does want me to point out that she tried really hard, but that is not the point of this message.)
Why don’t we open our eyes and see the work God wants us to do? The work He has prepared for us. It very well may have been started by someone else. We may be part of a really talented team, and if God is the coach, I’m going to believe that we are on the most talented team.
This is such good news to me. God may not want us to wait. He may be ready for us to act…to move…to open our eyes and see that the time is right! Now, when God is moving, we will have to be courageous. We must remember that we seek His approval only and not the approval of people. Not everyone will be willing to open their eyes and trust God’s timing. Don’t let them discourage you! Don’t let them tell you to slow down if God is telling you to go.
We are playing on God’s team, and sometimes we get the chance to run the bases because the batter behind us hit it to the fence. We don’t have to pause on third and check the fielders. We see our coach, and He is waving us home. Run fast, friends! Run fast!