Genesis: Summer 2018 - Let there be....a delay?

Since I am trying to be better about actually reading my Bible, I decided to read whatever book we happen to be studying at church....and the sermon series was in Genesis.

We've had fabulous lessons on: The Creation, Adam and Eve, Noah, Abraham, and Joseph.

 I believe that I am in my own Genesis season.  

Genesis defintionthe origin or coming into being of something

I don't even try to figure this stuff out anymore.  This along with "Make Room" (that started last year) seem to be the word of the moment and I have no clue why.

Get caught up about This 

To catch you up to speed...I have attended Shiloh Church off and on for the last 4 years and I've been faithful in my attendance for the past 9 months. 

I was all FIRED UP about the impending revival, learning new songs to sing at the top of my lungs at my house, and listening to the OUTSTANDING teachings.

Even though I am single and looking to change that status,  it may surprise you to know that I was not on the prowl at church.  

Even though the man at church told me I wasn't going to die an old maid, I wasn't one of the single women taking notes on single men without wedding rings or trying to find out who all was single.

For one thing I like attending Shiloh and with my poor dating skills I didn't want to embarrass myself to the point where I would have to STOP attending.

Despite it all, This happened to me this past spring

And we are still here this summer.  

I just got back from a fitness convention and I hoped this would happen there and then I could move on...but nope.  I cannot seem to un see this.  

I just don't understand it.  I have been going to this church on and off for four years and never saw this  and now I can't unsee it.  At first I thought it was a false alarm like at the gym when I was listening to Rihanna and drinking pre-workout and then when I saw the guy again I realized it was, "Yeah...it's a No from me dawg." 

But that didn't happen.  

Then I started hoping this would stay on the other side of the building so I could be holy and self righteous on my pew and not 

No such luck.

Let there be...a delay

Then I started reflecting on all the stories I have read in the book of Genesis.

It seemed to be that God’s pattern in those stories was that he got people all hyped up and then there was an inevitable delay.

He told Abraham that he would be the father of many nations years before when he had no heirs.  He showed Joseph what was to come through dreams when he was a teenaged boy, and he sent angels to Sarah to tell her she was going to conceive a child in her old age.

In all of those stories there was no action the next day. There was a delay with Abraham and in Joseph’s case there was a 13 year delay. Nobody said well this didn’t happen right away so it’s not going to happen.

It seemed to me that God’s method is to show you something exciting, get you all hyped up, and then there is a delay  as he tests whether you'll:

• decide to take matters into your own hands when there is no action and have to stop attending church because you've embarrassed yourself so badly.
• start complaining when there’s no action and mumble about how the man at church is so wrong and you will die an old maid in a hoarded out house.
• Believe his promises, surrender your will and way, and let him work it out

The Delay is where God sees if you Are you all in or not.

The vision is for the appointed time and that doesn’t mean tomorrow, next week, next month, or even next year. It’s for the appointed time and that’s whenever God says it is.

SO Let there be a delay!

This time I am not going to mess it all up and try to make it happen

Here we are about 3-4 months after noticing this and I could feel myself start to get impatient and wanting to hurry up and be disappointed so that I could move on but that hasn't happened. 

At one point I realized "This could take a while" and rather than mess it all up as I usually do by blazing ahead, I'm going to continue on with my normal course of action.  

I think realizing that there is going to be a delay really helped me put it all in perspective.

To be perfectly honest I think this is definitely going to be one for the Holy Spirit because it ain't going to happen the normal way.  Not by force, by strength, by typical ways of the world.

I'm not coming up with plans, schemes, or any of that. I asked to be different and we'll go from there. 

 This could just be encouragement to keep on keeping on.  Who knows?

Until the Time Comes...

Until the time came to fulfill his dreams, the Lord tested Joseph’s character. (Psalms 105:19)

We had the fabulous Dr Nina to break it down....I'm not going to rehash the whole thing but here are the main points: 

The very thing that we are destined to do is going to test us.  This explains the disappointments, the delay, and the wrong turns when we try to figure it out on our own.

Joseph also had two sons whose names meant: forgetting and fruitfulness.

We have to forget all the negative stuff that may have happened along the way.  For me that means all of the rejection, the settling, the negative attitude, and the selfish outlook I had.  It's got to go before I am fruitful.  It's time to say something different and to sing a new song instead of the blues!

The Door Will Open

The Time will come when the door will open and it will be time to claim this.  (Not that specific this because...who knows? Speaking in generalities here but I wouldn't be mad at this)

It won't be a moment too late or a moment too soon.  

Faith for the Delay

This is where the faith for the delay comes in.  It's not even about this or whatever you think you want...it's growing your faith, believing in the faithfulness of God, and believing the promises of God.

So Lord Make Me different!  Give me Patient Endurance!  

Hebrews 10:36
36 Patient endurance is what you need now, so that you will continue to do God’s will. Then you will receive all that he has promised.

Stay Tuned...

I really believe we are in some kind of Genesis and new beginning season.  Whether this is actually something or just encouragement to keep on keeping on remains to be seen but I'm ready for a good story. 

That place Shiloh Church is known for miracles and this would be a big one to add to the memorials already there....so STAY TUNED.