Majestic terra cotta buttes rose from the scrub like canyon floor. The view was spectacular from the deck of the house we stayed in while visiting Sedona. The horizon seemed to glisten and sparkle as the sun rose every morning. The first morning we were there I had the privilege of watching two hot air ballons rise and float above the canyon in front of the buttes. As large as those hot air balloons were, the butte dwarfed them. I realized then that the butte was much further than it appeared from our deck.
If you drive a vehicle, you are probably familiar with the little note on the sideview mirrors that remind the driver that “OBJECTS IN MIRROR ARE CLOSER THAN THEY APPEAR.” As I stood out on the deck of our home away from home, I edited that phrase to “OBJECTS ARE FURTHER THAN THEY APPEAR.” The phrase applies to landscapes like distant mountains and Sedona buttes. It also applies to your purpose journey. The focus of the big audacious dream that the Lord has given you may, in fact, be further that it appears.
Do you feel stuck in between the big vision the Lord has given you and the manifestation in your life? Take heart. God’s timing is perfect. God uses our “in between seasons” to prepare us and prepare the way. The prophet Habakkuk encourages us to wait for the Lord and His vision to be fulfilled.
“For the vision is yet for the appointed time;
It hastens toward the goal and it will not fail.
Though it tarries, wait for it;
For it will certainly come, it will not delay. Habakkuk 2:3
Even while you wait for your vision to be accomplished, there are steps to take. Keep walking. Perhaps there is a heart issue that needs your attention. Maybe there is a skill that needs to be learned or honed. Is your life cluttered with too many distractions? Perhaps it is time to clear them out of your life. Those are all steps in your journey—even when they don’t seem to be directly related to your vision.
Allow the Lord to show you the length of your stride and the pace He wants you to walk. Allow the Lord to direct your steps. You are on His path and He knows the how, the when, and the where of your walk.
I know, O Lord, that a man’s way is not in himself,
Nor is it in a man who walks to direct his steps. Jeremiah 10:23
Keep walking even when you cannot connect today’s tasks with your final destination. God has a plan and a purpose for each day. He is the master chess champion and sees the whole board.
There are 64 squares and 32 pieces on a chess board. A chess master keeps the whole board front and center in his mind. He/she knows the location and the direction each piece moves. The master anticipates future moves, knows when to hold a piece in place, and when to attack the opponent’s defenses.
God is the Master Chess Champion of your life. He knows what is going on in the unseen areas of your life that apply to your destiny journey.
Keep walking in the way your Master directs and leads you.
Sometimes God will have you make a quick move across the whole board—like the rook, bishop, or queen chess pieces can make.
At other times you may feel more like a pawn than a king when Holy Spirit moves you just a little bit—one square ahead, to the side, or even what feels backward—when You continue to walk your path.
At still other times you may scratch your head and wonder what God is up to when He asks you to move in the curious movement like the knight—one step forward and two steps to the side.
Lastly, let me encourage you that your are even walking forward on your path of purpose when the Master says, “Wait” and you feel like you are standing still.
Trust the Master’s plan. He is always victorious. He is the ultimate Champion.
Trust the Master’s timing. It is always perfect.
Do not grow weary in the day-to-day mundane tasks that your purpose journey often requires.
Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary. Galatians 6:9
Due time or due season is God’s season. Trust that your work will bear fruit.
He will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water,
Which yields its fruit in its season
And its leaf does not wither;
And in whatever he does, he prospers. Psalm 1:3
God has created and called you for a purpose. He wants that purpose to be accomplished perhaps even more than you do. Allow him the time and space to direct your thoughts and your path, trusting that He will bring in the harvest.
Faithful is He who calls you, and He also will bring it to pass. 1 Thessalonians 5:24
When you see a disparity between the vision the Lord has given you and what you see in your life today, trust the Lord, listen to His instructions, and keep walking. Your destination may be further than it appears today, but the Lord has the plan and will faithfully bring His vision into your reality.
Be encouraged. Keep walking.