Understanding the ways of the Lord is paramount. We sometimes pray to the Lord to alter our circumstance and when He does not move immediately, we are tempted to get weary. Hope deferred makes the heart sick. Sometimes the Lord has to move a couple of things around in order to answer our prayer. In Him moving these things, causing them to align, He is answering. We may be looking at one area and pouring our prayers and fasting into it and not witnessing any tangible change. However, the Lord does not think as we do. The best thing to do is to take a step back and notice ways in which He is moving, partner with that and trust Him. When the other parts have coalesced, He will then bring it to pass. We expect the Lord to do it now because we petitioned him. We did not factor in the wisdom of God.
Sometimes, the Lord has to permit things to fall apart so that the correct ones can fall into place.
When the Lord gave Joseph the dream concerning his brothers and father bowing before him, he was not privy to what it would take for its fulfilment. We think because God is sovereign, He should easily perform things at the blink of an eye. However, He does not operate that way. The Lord is patient. He is strategic. He is holy in His ways. God knew that his brothers would be tempted by jealousy and sell him as a slave. God in his sovereignty could have shielded him yet, His wisdom caused him to permit it to transpire.
Recognizing that Joseph would face the profound temptations of bitterness and unforgiveness, the Lord utilized his victory over seduction to fortify his character. By honoring God in that moment of trial, Joseph made room for the Lord to commence a transformative work within his heart, preparing him emotionally and spiritually for the challenges of his future. This resulted in Joseph forgiving his brothers when circumstances beckoned for it. The Lord set him up for future obedience!
Furthermore, Joseph’s refusal to succumb to seduction, though occurring while he enjoyed success and private opportunity, demonstrates that spiritual foresight is forged through active integrity: ” you meant it for evil but God meant it for good” he uttered. Yes, the Holy Ghost is with us and Christ has been made unto us wisdom; however, certain issues require obedience in one season so that when the trap or snare comes in another season, the optics to see it have been developed. This is one way the Lord delivers us.
While the Lord’s goodness and mercy are universal, the manifestation of His power is often contingent upon active submission and obedience. The perception that some are “favorites” is a misconception; rather, these individuals have transitioned from passive expectation to an active partnership with His Word. Consequently, certain breakthroughs remain inaccessible through divine goodness alone, requiring a functional alignment with His requirements to alter long standing circumstances.
This is similar to what transpired to Abraham, the Lord foreknew that he was going to love his son more than Him. This is not an unusual occurrence when one has had to wait for a long duration for a breakthrough. They can easily fall into the sin of idolatry. Therefore the Lord had to prepare him ahead of time and fortify him to be able to obey Him and sacrifice his son when He asked him to. How could he not have fallen into idolatry when he had to wait for 25 years for Isaac?
Our circumstances at times set us up to fall into sin. The Lord knows this all too well and if we will be cognizant of this or hide ourselves in His Word, He will prepare us to overcome the temptation when it comes.
Additionally, when the Lord desires that we occupy certain spaces and platforms, He will prepare us for it. Unfortunately, some rush into it and while operating in that space, fall into sin. At times, this is due to the individual’s failure to submit to the preparation process of the Lord. The Lord is able to see the weaknesses in our flesh that will be awakened when we enter certain spaces of influence and He can uproot them ahead of time-if we will let Him.