God, I think you misunderstood me!!
Does this sound familiar? How many of us have prayed or communicated with God about what we would like to see happen in our lives? We read a story in the bible or we hear someone’s testimony and we immediately have this desire in our hearts to be like that person or to experience what that person experienced in encountering God.
I for one can recall back in 2002 where after reading Job, I said to God that I wanted to be considered faithful like His servant Job. What on earth was I thinking!!! Somehow I think I got caught up in how God viewed Job and how his story ended; because if I paid close attention to what happens all through the story, I wouldn’t have been as eager to pray that prayer. I have spent the past decade going through some very interesting stuff that resembles Job’s story and thinking on several occasions, ‘Ummm God…what I really meant, was I wanted to wake up in the morning and be considered faithful. God, I think you misunderstood me. I didn’t say I wanted to experience some of the stuff he went through, I just wanted to experience the part where you are happy with me and I am considered faithful’.
You see, while I have been in this extra long process, there is so much I have learned about what it means to be faithful, obedient and how to truly hear from God and rely on Him in all circumstances. We want the testimony and we want to experience new levels of God….but no one wants to walk out the process because it requires us to go through the valleys.
Let’s take a closer look at what process means. The word process in the dicitionary says:
1.a systematic series of actions directed to some end
2.a continuous action, operation, or series of changes taking place in a definite manner
3.course or lapse, as of time
4.to treat or prepare by some particular process
5.to require (someone) to answer questionnaires, perform various tasks, and sometimes to undergo physical and aptitude classification examinations before the beginning or termination of a period of service
I find these definitions interesting because in all of them, it refers to things like a course of time, continuous action, or to prepare by a particular process or to require someone to undergo examinations in the beginning or ending of a period. Which simply means that as we journey with God and walk towards our ultimate purpose on this earth, we have to go through different processes which takes us to new levels in God and prepares for each stage/level.
I look at the story of Joseph and how he started off being this favored child of his father, who had everything he could need and want and as time went on, I have to say that he seemed to go through more valleys than mountain tops. (Genesis 37-50) In the beginning, you discover that Joseph has several dreams from God that prophesy of his eventual rise to a position of prominence and authority. This isn’t well received by his father or his brothers and it leads to him being sold as a slave. It might appear that it all goes down hill from there for Joseph; but through his process, God continues to use his circumstances to establish Joseph as a head above the rest. Not because of his intelligence, but through his relationship with God. As Joseph journeys through these rough patches, God works through it to put His Glory on display not only to Joseph, but to everyone around him. Every difficult new position Joseph is placed in, God shows up right on time, gives Joseph what needs and then advances him until Joseph eventually reaches the position that God promised him. God could have taken Joseph from his father’s house straight to the top leadership position. But Joseph would not have been prepared for it mentally, physically or spiritually. Plus, it wasn’t about Joseph, he was the vessel, it was about saving a nation and bringing glory to God.
I am sure there were times that Joseph wanted to bail out of the process and wanted God to rescue him. He probably wondered how he went from living such a wonderful life in his father’s house to being placed in a pit, being sold and put into prison. Nevertheless, in that time, God accomplished so much in him and through him. We have a tendency to want to bail out of our processes when they become too difficult. No one blames us for becoming weary. No one blames us for wanting the process to come to an end. The issue is when we throw our hands up and give up. We have to rise above this and press through because in the process, God prepares us for the next level and we get a chance to discover new treasures that God reveals about himself; He reveals in us and through us.
Needless to say, it has been a decade and I am still walking through the process but finally got to a place where I no longer remind God that I think He misunderstood me. I have learned to enjoy God in the hills and in the valleys. I actually welcome walking through the valleys because it lets me know that I am still on the move with God and I get to experience Him in a new way. So the next time you feel like you wish God will just end the process, change your thought pattern, go eagerly before God and ask Him to help you not miss all the delicious tidbits that will be revealed to you, or all the jewels that will be discovered as you journey through the process with Him.
