Window of Opportunity
Many married couples, especially me, have had this argument while traveling: “Turn here!“, she says. “It’s the wrong exit,” he says. “No! Turn!“, she says. They miss the turn then he dejectedly says, “I’ll turn around.” “No, you won’t!“, she says. “I’ll turn.“, he says. “It’s too late!“, she says. This isn’t fun.
We read about this same mistake in Deuteronomy 1:26, 41-42, But you were unwilling to go up; you rebelled against the command of the Lord your God… Then you replied, “We have sinned against the Lord. We will go up… But the Lord said to me, “Tell them, ‘Do not go up and fight, because I will not be with you. You will be defeated by your enemies.‘”
Obedience has a lot to do with timing. We have “windows of opportunity” to act on God’s direction because during that time we are in the will of God. Acting too soon or waiting too long, and that very same action becomes disobedience; you will not be blessed.
Missing Your Window of Opportunity
We usually miss the “window” because of fear or lack of trust in. Jesus. Just like the Israelites, we want to send spies ahead of us to “find out” what we’re getting into. Then when we learn what we’re facing, we lose heart. It’s too big for us to handle. Well, yes, silly rabbit, that’s the point. It’s a God-sized task. It’s God’s work, not yours.
Now, there are many times that God will have us wait an extraordinary length of time before He provides us with the window of opportunity which He has shown us. These times often are for the development of our character. God didn’t call Moses until he was eighty years old. Moses didn’t spend eighty years practicing to lead a nation. He spent those years learning to hear and be obedient to God. Then when the opportunity opened, Moses was ready for his call! Well, even then Moses wasn’t quite ready, but he was obedient.
Don’t just “wait.” Practice obedience. That’s the key to hearing and acting within God’s “windows of opportunity.”
Photo by Casey Callahan on Unsplash
You may also be interested in: https://rockexcavationservice.org/2019/04/04/whos-driving-this-car/