Walking with God is sort of strange sometimes. You pray, seek, ask and nothing seems to be happening. You listen intently and for the life of you, you can't hear a word He is saying. You read the Bible and it seems a bit distant from the challenges you are facing. At times you wonder if your faith is really connected to your everyday life and struggle. I think it has to do with seasons. It is all a part of the grand scheme of things where God stretches us, blesses us, stretches us and blesses us. It seems to be the way we grow.
I love the season of blessing much more than stretching. For me the stretching season happens before you know you are in it. Not so with the blessing season. It comes with fanfare and bright lights. The job you have wanted and given up on calls, wow, or the child you have prayed for that is so rebellious begins to ask questions about life, God and the future. You sit there praying silently, "God please don't let me mess this up." You open the Bible and suddenly a Scripture jumps off the page that not only describes right where you are but offers specific direction that you need this very second. You begin to text your closest friends and share what God just said to you. At that moment you can't help but utter, "It was worth the wait. The stretching season was long but this was well worth it." God has come through in ways better than you had hoped for. This pattern has been such a part of my life, but do I like those stretching seasons? No. No. No. I like blessings.
But one thing remains the same in every season; God is faithful and He loves us so much.
So I don't know what season you are in. There are certainly more than my over simplified bless and stretch seasons.Regardless... God is working for our good. That is why God commands us to encourage one another. Because someone is surely being stretched.
