Sitting Before Stepping

I had the unexpected privilege of joining a missions trip to Bonaire this past June. While God did some incredible things through our time with the local church, I will never forget walking into town our first night on the island. I looked to my left and saw for the first time in person: a cargo ship in a harbor.

You can imagine my reaction as everything God has done through this ministry ran through my mind and overwhelmed my emotions. Seeing these cargo ships quickly became my favorite part of every walk to town, but it wasn't until my time of reflecting after the trip that God really revealed the significance of what I witnessed.

Almost everyday I saw these ships stationed in the harbor being loaded with new cargo in preparation for their next voyage. I wanted them to move so I could find the scene more applicable to the heart of the ministry God has given me. The message of "Step Out of the Harbor" is to encourage people to take a step of faith, to get out of their "harbor" and forward into what God is calling them to. But I saw these ships just sitting in the harbor.

What I was so quick to overlook at the time could not be more applicable to my current season of life. Maybe you can resonate with this analogy as well. You know God has something incredible in store, but you feel God has asked you to just sit still in the harbor for now like a vessel deemed ineffective and therefore unused. But here's the kicker: if the ship would have left when it wanted to it would have left unequipped and ill prepared for what was ahead. Only the captain knows when it's ready and the importance of this process can no longer be overlooked.

I'll be the first to raise my hand and admit that I have been too quick to try to dismiss this waiting process just as I did in Bonaire walking by the harbors every day. Therefore, the goal of this article is to encourage you that it is okay to sit still at times. Psalms 46:10 says, "Be still and know that I am God." Lean into this time of stillness as He works to equip you for what's ahead. Don't bypass the waiting process or underestimate the importance of what He's doing. The anointing is in the preparation and the blessing is in the obedience. So, when God says, "go" it is your job to be obedient to step out of the harbor with confidence knowing He has equipped and fully prepared you through the season of stillness.