In the opening chapter of 1 Kings, we meet one of King David's sons named Adonijah. The Bible tells us that when King David had become old in age and was close to death that Adonijah took it upon himself to declare that he was the new king of Israel. As you might imagine, this did not go over well with King David's inner circle, especially because the LORD had already confirmed that David's son Solomon would succeed him on the throne. So, despite the efforts Adonijah made to get Israel to accept him as their next king, his plan was foiled because that wasn't God's will for his life.
You can't authorize a season before it's time.
It's easy to look around and observe what others have going on and be inspired by their accomplishments. It's even easier to stand on the outside of someone's life, make conclusions based on what you see, and become discontent with your own life as a result of what you saw. We know that a part of maturing is being willing to recognize areas of weakness or stagnation and doing the work to make the necessary improvements. However, no amount of work or effort justifies an attempt to bypass God's will for your life in order to obtain something that He has for you faster or in some cases, trying to get something that you think you deserve.
I get it. We all want to be satisfied, happy, stable, healthy, wealthy, etc. every minute of every single day. Unfortunately, this world has been broken by mankind's rebellion, idolatry, and sin and because we live in it, we experience unpleasant things that we'd much rather avoid. Thankfully, God can use anything to help build our faith in Him and while we should certainly pray for better times to come, we must also be willing to accept every season that He put us in because there's something that He has for us in it.
"Therefore, when they had come together, they asked Him, saying, 'Lord, will You at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?' And He said to them, 'It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His own authority. But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.'" - Acts 1:6-8
This anxiousness to move onto greater, especially after a period of sorrow, was something that the apostles wrestled with too. After Jesus had been crucified and resurrected from the grave, their expectation was that the prophesied glory of Israel would come to pass immediately. However, Jesus had to remind them that only God authorizes times & seasons and that their new season required another step: being baptized with the Holy Spirit. This step was essential to what the LORD intended to do in and through the disciples next, which would ultimately lead to the establishment of the church. Had they been stubborn or rejected Jesus' instructions, you and I might not be here today.
As followers of Jesus Christ, we must understand that even our hardships have been appointed for us. Therefore, we must avoid the trap of wanting the next person's life and rushing through the season that God put us in. There's still so much beauty and joy that the LORD intends to bring to pass in our lives but we've got to be willing to trust Him at all times. I'm willing. Are you?
Scriptures for your consideration:
- Isaiah 61:3
- Daniel 2:20-21
