Your Time Will Come! Be Ready! Be Prepared for Every Good Work!

Experience has taught me “your time will come”! Be ready! We never know, however, when that time will be. It is important to always be prepared and in the best position to take advantage of the opportunity when it comes.

I remember tensely waiting as teams were chosen at school. Of course, the strongest and best were picked first! As a small child, and only girl, in a small country school, I would invariably be chosen last. There was something reassuring, though, to finally hear my name being called.

There were other times when I wasn’t chosen at all; I would wander off and amuse myself elsewhere. Experiences of disappointment mark each of our lives at some point.

Jesus, on the other hand, leaves no one behind! He is getting us ready for the place of His choosing!

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD,
“plans to prosper you and not to harm you,
plans to give you hope and a future.”
Jeremiah 29:11

Parable of the Vineyard

When in Guatemala, I saw men from the slum villages sitting by the roadside hoping to be chosen to work for the day. Some days they were picked! Other days they went home empty handed!

Jesus tells a parable of  The Owner of a vineyard calling workers to come and work for Him. He came to the marketplace, early in the morning, at nine, again at noon, then at three in the afternoon looking for workers.

Early in the morning, many would gather ready to work. As the sun grew hot, hope grew cold! Fewer and fewer waited! One by one they drifted away, their faces etched by experiences of rejection and discouragement. It always hurts to be passed by.

But a few lingered, hoping against hope they would be noticed and welcomed into the field. Undaunted, they sharpened their tools in faith. They would not give up! Here they waited ready for the call to action!

“About five in the afternoon
he went out and found still others standing around.
He asked them, ‘Why have you been standing here all day long doing nothing?’
“‘Because no one has hired us,’ they answered.
“He said to them, ‘You also go and work in my vineyard.’ ”
Matthew 20:6-7

Ready to be Chosen

The workers didn’t shrink back with the accusation of “doing nothing!” The persevering ones frankly expressed their willingness to work in the fields. They were ready!

“God chose the lowly things of this world
and the despised things…”
1 Corinthians 1:28

God is still calling for workers! He continues to choose the unlikely ones, giving them value and purpose.

“‘Call the workers and pay them their wages,
beginning with the last ones hired and going on to the first.’
The workers who were hired about five in the afternoon came
and each received a denarius.”
Matthew 20:6-9

Whether the workers had worked an hour or a whole day, each received the same reward. The Owner paid the workers the denarius He promised. Those who worked through the heat of the day were indignant! Outraged is probably more accurate.

Such is the response of a lethargic, self-righteous people, “What? That’s unfair! I deserve more!”

To those who have waited, persevering in their love and devotion to God, while honing their skills, gratitude fills their hearts! They find the Owner as lavishly generous!

Ready for God’s Timing

A denarius represented a day’s wage for an unskilled worker or common soldier. God so valued each worker, whether their hours were few or many that He treats each equally.

It is God’s timing I often struggle with! I know I’m not alone! Often, we think we are ready for the opportunity or promotion long before God knows we are truly ready.

Wisdom is choosing to constantly walk in God’s ways, developing the necessary skills, serving wherever the need is and preparing ourselves in every way possible. God doesn’t waste any part of our lives, especially our waiting seasons!

“Whatever your hand finds to do,
do it with all your might…”
Ecclesiastes 9:10

Even in the waiting, be ready! Prepare for action!

Ready with Vision

Vision endures the wait, disappointment, and rejection of being passed by.

“Where there is no vision, the people are unrestrained,
but blessed is the one who heeds wisdom’s instruction.”
Proverbs 29:18

Without vision impatience incites us to

move when God is saying, “Stay!”
arouses frustration and anger
ignites comparisons and competition
provokes self-promotion or self-abasement.

“Vision” includes revelation, prophecy, or divine guidance. Knowing God’s will for our lives helps us to stay the course even when we don’t tangibly see the fulfillment being realized. When we are ready, listening and obeying in the little things, blessing will follow.

Sitting and waiting has never been my strength! Quite the opposite! God has been consistently building patient endurance in me.

Resting in wait…
Preparing in the wait…
Trusting in the wait…
Optimistic in the wait…

I am still a work in progress!

God so values each of us! He will always be the Rewarder of those who wait on His timing for their lives. We can trust Him to know what is best. In the process, let’s be ready when He comes our way and invites us into His field in a new or different capacity.

Your time will surely come! Be prepared and ready for every good work!

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