Jim Powell Online

Another aspect of the little things involves the lesson of “timing.” Namely that God’s timing is not our timing. He often moves us slowly, deliberately, and purposefully to get us where He wants us to be. These delays are meant to test us, prepare us, and mature us so that we are equipped for the bigger things that He may have in store.

• There was a quite a gap in time between David’s anointing as future King of Israel (1 Samuel 16) and his actual ascension to that position (2 Samuel 5).

• Elijah was a prophet and a man of action. Yet, the Lord called him to hang out in a place of isolation for a few years before doing what it was he longed to do (1 Kings 17:1-6).

• At 12 years of age Jesus was able to amaze the spiritual leaders of His day (Luke 2:47). Yet it was another 18 years before He engaged the world in public ministry.

• After encountering the resurrected Lord, and seeing Him ascend into Heaven, the disciples were commanded to “wait” for the “gift of my Father” before going into action (Acts 1:4).

• The Apostle Paul had a dramatic conversation and a crystal clear calling on his life. Yet, immediately after hearing God’s call he spent 3 years in the dessert of Arabia (Galatians 1:17).

Many times before God entrusts us with big thing, He calls us to do little things. These little things take time and often appear to serve no purpose. But it’s in waiting and faithfulness that God is preparing to bless and use us. When we get ahead of ourselves and focus too much on the big things we get in hurry. But God’s time table is different. We need to learn that. We need to believe that. We need to live that.