WAIT… Until The Day Of Your Showing (PART 1)
WAIT… Until The Day Of Your Showing (PART 2)
What To Do While Waiting
In the second part of this series, we discussed the importance of being made by God in preparation for the assignment He has called you to fulfil. God only deploys soldiers that have been properly and thoroughly trained to the battlefield, and we considered a few of such fellows from Scripture that had to undergo such training.
But how exactly does God equip His soldiers? What do we need to engage to be groomed for the task we have been ordained for?… I suggest we refer to our biblical examples to see how they fared.
Let’s start with King David…
Young, vibrant, full of zeal, and the youngest amongst his brethren, he was deployed to the deserts to tend to his father’s flock while his older brothers had a good time. Left alone with his father’s flock, he diligently carried out the task. And while he was at it, he built a solid relationship with the Lord and good character. We know this because one of Saul’s servants testified of him, saying, “I have seen a son of Jesse the Bethlehemite who plays skillfully, a valiant man, a man of war, prudent in speech and eloquent, an attractive person; and the Lord is with him.“ (1 Samuel 16:18 AMPC).
In addition to character building and cultivating intimacy with the Lord, David was also engaged in dealings to build him for his “Day of Showing”. We know this from his report in 1 Samuel 17:34-37.
God instructed Samuel to anoint him in place of Saul, and his first task after this divine ordination was to deliver God’s people from the siege of the Philistines. Their “champion”, Goliath, was a giant — over nine feet tall, fully coated with heavy metal, and his iron spearhead alone weighed about 15 pounds. The people shivered at the sight of this monster, but not David. In fact, it pained him that an “uncircumcised Philistine should defy the armies of the living God”.
David took matters into his hands and opted to go against Goliath.
Saul feared for him and advised him against it, but young David knew he was prepared for this. He narrated his tale of battling and killing a lion and a bear with his bare hands in defence of his flock while in obscurity and how Goliath would be as one of them. His confidence stemmed from the fact that he had undergone a preparatory course for that very moment. Such confidence! He knew that the Lord who gave him victory against the beasts in the wilderness could provide him with victory against the beast in the valley of Elah.
How about Joseph?
A young boy with big dreams. As beautiful as his dreams were at such a young age, they would take another 13 years to become a reality. And between the dreams and their actualization, he would be subjected to his “wilderness” experience. From being sold out by his own brothers as a slave, to getting accused of rape, to spending a few years in prison, it seemed as though things only got progressively worse for the young lad. He probably wondered why everything continually went south for him. Little did he know that he was being prepped for his destined purpose.
But we see from his story that amid all his troubles, he not only upheld his faith in God but also developed his God-given gifts. He was indirectly trained in management while serving at Portiphar’s, and when the day of his showing came, the one-time “daddy’s boy” was regarded as the only one with the capacity to save the nation.
This pattern is repeated across the Bible and in modern times. Men that amount to much in God’s work on earth usually undergo a season of capacity building —spiritually, professionally, etc.— ahead of their assignment.
We considered John the Baptist in the previous part of this series. It was said of him that “the child grew, and waxed strong in spirit, and was in the deserts till the day of his showing unto Israel.” (Luke 1:80). And in the case of Jesus himself, it was written that “the child grew, and waxed strong in spirit, filled with wisdom: and the grace of God was upon him.” (Luke 2:40). It was also said that “He increased in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and man.” (Luke 2:52).
Clearly, these men had significant assignments to fulfil in God’s purpose, but they had to gain capacity while in obscurity before they were announced.
Gentiles Shall Come To Thy Light
This phrase is gotten from Isaiah 60:3. The NLT translation puts it thus: “All nations will come to your light; mighty kings will come to see your radiance”. This verse tells us about the attractive power of light. The mere presence of light draws people.
John was in the wilderness, away from civilization, but when the time for his showing came, people came from far and wide to be baptized by him. He didn’t have to go to them; his light was enough to draw them. We see also in the ministry of Christ that in every place He entered, crowds followed him. From time to time, he would have to withdraw to find some solitude. Other times, he would beg them not to announce his deeds, but this didn’t stop them from coming around in their numbers. They couldn’t resist His light.
When Jesus was leaving, He instructed His disciples to tarry in Jerusalem until the Holy Spirit came upon them. When the Holy Spirit came, there broke forth in other tongues. News of this went abroad, and people from different tribes gathered at the sight of this wonder. There and then, 3000 souls were added to the church (Acts 2). Peter never had to call for a crusade; the ‘light’ that broke forth at Pentecost attracted all men.
Light cannot be hidden; it must shine (Matthew 5:14-15). ‘Light’ in this context is a reflection of God’s glory. To radiate this light, you have to be constantly connected to the source, which can only be achieved in the place of waiting. When disconnected from the source, you can’t sustain the intensity needed to draw men.
In The Day Of Your Showing
Even after Jesus began His ministry, He constantly communed with the father. He maintained His secret place at all times. He was never carried away by all the attention He got. He repeatedly withdrew himself from the crowd to pray. In one instance, when He returned from a solitary place where He went to pray, the disciples told Him that “all men seek for thee” (Mark 1:37). Yet he wouldn’t trade His communion with the father for their attention. He knew that he needed to wait for God to serve them efficiently.
In and after our “day of showing“, we ought to still stay waiting on God. We already discussed that waiting on God renews our strength. To remain relevant in God’s purpose, it is paramount that we stay connected to the source of strength. Otherwise, we would definitely grow weary and faint.
To conclude this series, I’d like to quote the words of Christ to Martha in Luke 10:42: “but one thing is needful…” This He spoke of Mary who sat at His feet and heard His word (v.39). That one thing is to sit at the Master’s feet, wait on Him, and let Him make you.