A Season of Preparation

The Waiting Period/Being Prepared

It’s no secret that GOD often makes us wait for things that are important to us and is important to Him. Psalms chapter 130 verse 5: “I wait for GOD, my soul doth wait, and in His word do I hope.”

Once GOD decides that now is the time to call into motion the events that would bring about a righteous union, then begins the “Season of Preparation”, “Season of Preparedness” or “The Preparation Season,” which occurs during the waiting period.

What is preparation? Merriam-Webster defines preparation as: “the action or process of making something ready for use or service or of getting ready for some occasion, test, or duty such as in the duty of marriage." I have a few questions for all to consider, for the Most High says in Isaiah chapter 1 verse 3: “The ox knoweth his owner, and the ass his master's crib; but Israel doth not know, My people doth not consider.” Are you truly ready for a mate? Would you date you? Would you marry you? Do you trust GOD to find you a mate or do you want a mate on your own terms? Why do you want a mate, and if it is to make you happy then you are on the wrong path. Happiness begins with serving the Most High and it manifests itself within you. Another person cannot bestow happiness upon you. Are you prepared to be with this person forever? As we know, the Most High hates divorce so why would He bless you with a spouse only to divorce him/her later. The decision to marry only to divorce later wouldn’t be of the Most High’s ways. Have you considered that you are not ready yet or maybe your spouse is  not ready. He/She may be righteous but may not be financially stable or vice-versa, he/she may be financially stable but not stable in the law. Only GOD knows so one must seek GOD for those answers. 

 

I often think about the beginning of my "season of preparation" to teach the word of GOD. Over a period of twenty years, I was buying culture-wear with no place to wear them. Where I currently live, there is no congregation. Yet, I purchased culture-wear faithfully waiting to go before GOD'S people whenever the time came, and here I am now with years of culture-wear without the need to wear the same thing again. Also, during that period, the Most High was preparing me spiritually and financially, but also during that time period, instead of living in the moment, my focus was on future. Twenty years is a long time, but the Most High is the keeper of time, and only HE knows when a person is ready. I can faithfully look back and see how the Most High was preparing me for this time in my life. He had to prepare me to speak His words and not worry about what I was going to wear. When I go before GOD'S people, I have to possess wisdom, knowledge, and understanding of holy  scriptures and not lean to my own understanding because the holy scriptures set all things in order, and opinions can destroy what GOD is trying to build. No, I'm not discounting an individual's experiences, as they can occasionally serve to ward off evil and/or bring us back to GOD. I can faithfully say that I am prepared to teach the word of GOD because I was fully prepared according to GOD'S "season of preparedness."

Patience is A Virtue

When we wait on GOD, we are putting our trust in Him. Lamentations chapter 3 verse 25: GOD is good unto them that wait for Him, to the soul that seeketh Him.” He is the one who designed us and knows what is best for us. He knows who our future spouse is and when he or she will come into our lives. We can rest assured that if we wait on Him, He will provide us with a good man (or woman for you brothers) to marry. We have to wait for GOD'S timing, because to find a mate otherwise will be like playing Russian roulette. You don’t know what you are getting and it may not end well. You may be rushing to your death or destruction because only the Most High knows the heart. It reminds me of the prophet in 1 Kings chapter 13 verses 11 through 32, who was disobedient to the Most High, and it caused him his death. Instead of asking the Most High if there was a change of plans, he heeded the words of an old lying prophet. He exercised a lack of unwavering trust in GOD, and a lack of obedience to GOD. Testing reveals your faithfulness and trust in the Most High. It shows your preparedness or lack of preparedness for the mission; and it shows you who you are. Therefore, take full advantage of this season of preparation. You never know, your future spouse may be in the same congregation, a different congregation, at your place of employment, living in your neighborhood, or be a friend of a family member, or a friend of a friend observing you and how you behave as Boaz observed Ruth in Ruth chapter 2 verse 5, and it reads: “Then said Boaz unto his servant that was set over the reapers: 'Whose damsel is this?”, so let GOD do what HE is good at and that is marriage. He instituted the first marriage when HE brought Eve unto Adam, and HE can bring you your spouse. Institute means to: "set in motion or establish." Proverbs 3 verses 5 through 7: “Trust in GOD with all thy heart, and lean not upon thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He will direct thy paths. Be not wise in thine own eyes.” Being wise in your own eyes means that what you want or desire outweighs the Most High’s order of things. 

For those who don’t want GOD to bring you your spouse and you choose to go it along, then this topic is not for you. My focus is on GODLY people who want GOD to build their houses by blessing them with a GODLY spouse, and this is why patience is truly a virtue. The waiting period can also apply to those who are in a spiritually divided house when both were married before coming into the truth, then one starts to serve GOD and the other one has not. The scripture mentions that a person shall get rid of his spouse in a situation where the spouse is secretly enticing you to serve another GOD according to Deuteronomy chapter 13 verses 7 through 12. So, if the person is not secretly enticing you away from GOD, then why be in a hurry to get a divorce? You had an opportunity to find GOD, then allow that person to do the same as well. Psalms chapter 127 verse 1 sets it in order, “If GOD does not build a house, then those who build it work in vain.”

"The one who has found a good wife has found what goodness is and obtained a delightful gift from GOD." Proverbs 18:22

The Consequences of Not Waiting

Sometimes, the waiting period can last decades but that doesn’t mean that you are being ignored or that it is a green light for you to act on your own volition. This is the time to trust and have faith. Not waiting on GOD will lead to unintended consequences, let's look at the story of Sarai and Hagar which can be found in Genesis chapter 16 starting at the first verse: “Now Sarai Abram's wife bore him no children; and she had a handmaid, an Egyptian, whose name was Hagar. And Sarai said unto Abram: 'Behold now, GOD hath restrained me from bearing; go in, I pray thee, unto my handmaid; it may be that I shall be builded up through her.' And Abram hearkened to the voice of Sarai. And Sarai Abram's wife took Hagar the Egyptian, her handmaid, after Abram had dwelt ten years in the land of Canaan, and gave her to Abram her husband to be his wife. And he went in unto Hagar, and she conceived; and when she saw that she had conceived, her mistress was despised in her eyes. And Sarai said unto Abram: 'My wrong be upon thee: I gave my handmaid into thy bosom; and when she saw that she had conceived, I was despised in her eyes: GOD judge between me and thee.” Sarai quickly realized that she was in error when she gave her handmaid unto her husband. (Side note: Hagar was like a surrogate. She was Sarai's Egyptian slave and the rule of law is that the children born to slaves become the owner's property.) As we see from Sarai's rush to give Abram an heir instead of waiting on GOD, she quickly learned that this was a bad decision. The Most High revealed to Abram the promise of an heir and it should have been in her best interest to go back to GOD to find out how this was to occur instead of presuming that it would be through someone else. GOD was specific about the details of how this heir would be born and that was through Sarai, not her handmaid. Sarai laughed at the thought of child-bearing at her age, but she took the information and decided to make the prophecy come to pass in her own time and according to her own way, thus causing the handmaid to feel superior to her because she was barren, but Abram in his wisdom, said unto Sarai: "'Behold, thy maid is in thy hand; do to her that which is good in thine eyes.' And Sarai dealt harshly with her, and she fled from her face.” There is a blessing in waiting for GOD and there are severe consequences in not waiting when seeking your own desire or outcome. 

Unprepared to Handle the Challenges of Marriage

Take this time to work on loving you, being alone with you, healing you, and loving others. This waiting period could be refining and molding you into the woman or man GOD wants you to be, someone who is fully dependent on Him and faithfully devoted to His will and that means waiting for the spouse that HE has chosen for you. So don’t give up!! Keep trusting in GOD, even when the waiting period seems intolerable. Let’s begin to "Put GOD back into Our Relationships". We may not see the fruits of our labor right now, but one day we will look back and realize that everything happened exactly how it was supposed to happen. 

In conclusion, I will leave you with some benefits of GOD Making Us Wait for  A Spouse:

1. It teaches us patience.

2. It prevents us from leaning to our own understanding.

3. It develops trust in GOD.

4. It strengthens our relationship with GOD.

5. It allows us to focus on our healing, growth, and               development process.

6. It allows us to understand our purpose.

7. It prevents us from rushing into a marriage that is doomed     from the start.

8. It helps us appreciate the covenant of marriage and its' seriousness in the eyes of GOD.

May the blessings of the Most High rest upon all who read this and serve HIM. Shalom

Enjoyed this post? Never miss out on future posts by following us: