Time in a Bottle

• Printable Version - Share on Facebook - Posted by Dion Todd November 9, 2015 - Filed in Devotional - 11,976 views

  For the vision is yet for the appointed time, and it hurries toward the end, and won't prove false. Though it takes time, wait for it; because it will surely come. It won't delay. Habakkuk 2:3 WEB
  
  For the vision is for an appointed time. In other words, God has marked it on His calendar and every hour that passes, brings us closer to it. When the proper amount of time has elapsed, the vision will come to pass.
  
  When I was young, the Lord spoke to me and told me that one day, in His appointed time, that I would be in ministry and would 'pioneer' new things, making the way for others.
  
  At first I was really excited and expected it to come soon. I worked in the day, went through Bible college at night, tried to make myself ready, then I waited...
  
  Time passed by, lots and lots of time. When it did not happen after a while, I got on with my life. Twenty-five years passed as I worked daily in the computer field and various other jobs along the way. I forgot about ministry altogether thinking that I had either missed God, or somehow wrecked His plans for me.
  
  Life happened. I learned and forgot, lost and found. In one year I lost my Dad, divorced, and had my computer business burn to the ground during an insurance lapse.
  
  When I had graduated Bible college, I felt that I knew lot and had something to offer. After those years, I felt completely empty, like I knew nothing, and the last place on earth that I needed to be was in ministry.
  
  Then it happened. He squeezed us out of the computer business and after months without work, the week that we were packing to move out of our house, a door opened up. A local company put up an ad like 'Wanted: A creative arts pastor with computer skills. Must be able to maintain website and perform video editing.'
  
  Well, we were hungry and I did have that degree that I had never done anything with, so I contacted them and told them I had graduated Bible college, I was ordained, and owned a computer business for twenty years. It almost sounded strange saying it, but God had prepared for this, and now it was time.
  
  What I had long given up on, I was now living. There were times when I thought that He had forgotten about me, but all that time He was preparing me. When the time came, His word came to pass, and we are only at the beginning. The simple, but true stories that I share here each day, are the things that I learned along the way.
  
  When the Lord puts a dream in your heart, hang on to it. There may be a span of time between the beginning and the fulfillment, but if you continue on with Him, and keep a positive attitude, it will come to pass. Don't get frustrated and take your anger out at God, because of what you feel is a delay. You will probably find out, that this was the only way.
  
  Prayer: Father, help me see the big picture. Speak to me in a simple way that I understand. Open my mind to understand Your word and light a fire in my heart to seek Your face like never before, in the name of Jesus Christ I pray.