Church planting, like any other future vision, is a work in progress. For those who think the process is taking entirely too long, I invite you to look at the prophet Habakkuk where he talks about vision.
Hab 2:3
“This vision is for a future time.
It describes the end, and it will be fulfilled.
If it seems slow in coming, wait patiently,
for it will surely take place.
It will not be delayed.” (NLT)
Full Term
Vision is for a future time and in the end it will come to pass but the nature of vision is that it takes time to be fulfilled and that is something that we need to come to grips with. Especially for those who have trouble waiting on things to come full term. A baby takes nine months to be fully developed in it mother’s womb and if it comes too early there can be complications that develop with it. The same can be true of vision. A vison birthed too soon often carries complications and challenges that wouldn’t necessarily be there if the proper time of development would have been allotted.
The Place you are going…
There is the development of the vision that takes time and then there is also the development of the individual. Make no mistake, God is using today’s circumstances to develop you for the future plans He has for you. I was going through a very challenging season of my life in business one time and I was spending time with the Lord asking Him questions about my future, the future of the business, while trying to discern His will for my life. I will never forget the words He quietly spoke to my heart. “The place where you are going, the pressure is much greater than you are experiencing here, this is training ground for you!” From that time forward I looked at challenging situations in a totally different light. What is He trying to teach me? What can I learn from this life situation? It was totally freeing for me and caused me to embrace challenges vs. run from them.
Looking Back
It was almost seven years later that I woke up one morning and the first thought on my mind was, “hard pressed but not destroyed”. I was pastoring a local church at the time while also providing leadership on a larger scale. I was encountering significant challenges on a number of fronts hence the initial wake up thought. All of a sudden I realized that I was trained for this very moment many years earlier. Had I not gone through that period of challenging circumstances in business, I would not have been as prepared to handle the current situation I found myself in.
Learning in Waiting
Is your vision seemingly slow in coming? Like the prophet says, “…Wait patiently, for it will surely take place.” And I would also add, while you wait, learn all you can because when it comes, you personally being ready will make all the difference to its success!
Ron Myer
DOVE USA Apostolic Team Leader
