The Great Wait

The Lord’s Timing in a Season of Trials

“Even so we, when we were children, were in bondage under the elements of the world. But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons.” [Gal 4:3-5 NKJV]

Concerning Time

Time is a constantly moving target that we are all aiming for. We have plans and planners, appointments and apps - all created to help us manage our time. Some of us are notoriously late, while others are as punctual and reliable as Ole Faithful. And while many of us claim that we don’t have time to stop and think about it, the truth is that the eternal God, who exists outside of time, created time, and He works within time. After all, the very first words of Genesis are, “In the beginning…” (Gen 1:1). And in those first 6 days, God created (through His eternal Son) everything necessary for us to tell time - to discern it and understand it - to perceive it. He divided the light and darkness into Day and Night, and divided them further into evening and morning, and encapsulated all of them into the idea of a day. On the 4th day, God created stars and the sun and the moon, “…to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs and seasons, and for days and years…” [Gen 1:14 NKJV] All of these creations were designed to enhance our perception of time. And time is not some haphazard chaos machine that does as it pleases. Nor is it some innocuous abstract that just floats along unto oblivion. Time has a purpose because God has a purpose for it because God has a purpose for us because God is. So, when speaking of the eternal Godhead, it is fitting to say, “Time is of the Essence.”

On Time

Now why all this talk about time? What is so noteworthy about a day? Or some stars? Why is this worth your time? Because when Paul writes to the Galatians in chapter 4 of his epistle to drive home the point of their poor state of bondage prior to Christ, as opposed to their glorious liberty as adopted sons of God now that Christ has come, his point hinges upon time. “When the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son…” Paul is speaking in the past tense. This event, this fullness of time, this completion had already come to pass. And what was at stake in this timely event? God the Father sending His Son into the world to redeem men and women living in bondage. We know it did happen, according to Paul, but then the question we can ask is when did it happen? When is when? When was the fullness? We know when because God has preserved His holy scriptures for us throughout time in order for us to know these things. Luke tells us in chapter 2 verses 1-7.

And it came to pass in those days [that] a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. This census first took place while Quirinius was governing Syria. So all went to be registered, everyone to his own city. Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be registered with Mary, his betrothed wife, who was with child. So it was, that while they were there, the days were completed for her to be delivered. And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn. [Luk 2:1-7 NKJV]

We know the details within the timeframe that this all transpired. We have Caesar Augustus reigning as emperor of Rome. Quirinius was governing Syria. A census with registration was occurring. And all of this culminated in the days being completed for the virgin Mary to give birth to Jesus Christ, the Son of God. All of time from the beginning was created to bring humanity to that point, to the Incarnation, to the eternal Word becoming flesh, dwelling among us, dying for us, resurrecting, and redeeming us, a race of sinners headed for the eternal torment of Hell. And yet, this was not an afterthought. It was foreordained. It was predestined. Peter tells us that, “…you were not redeemed with corruptible things, [like] silver or gold, from your aimless conduct [received] by tradition from your fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot. He indeed was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you. [1Pe 1:18-20 NKJV] John the apostle writes in Revelation, “All who dwell on the earth will worship him, whose names have not been written in the Book of Life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.” [Rev 13:8 NKJV]

All of these things point to the plain truth that before God said, “Let there be light,” He not only knew that Jesus Christ would be sent into the world to die for sinners but when it would happen. And no amount of human fretting would make that day arrive any sooner. This is why the Old Testament saints are revered for their steadfast faith. They believed the promises of God, and they knew that they would be fulfilled when they would be fulfilled and not a moment sooner. Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of God, the Lord of Time himself, was not born a moment too soon, nor a minute late. He was born precisely when He was foreordained to arrive. And God the Father knows the time when He will be sent back to bring all of time to it’s proper culmination: the judgment of the quick and the dead, the casting of the unrighteous into hell, and the ushering of the saints into the eternal state of glory with Him forever.

A Brief History

Now, why all of this talk about time? Well, I’ll tell you. In 2020, my wife and I moved to Newport News with the hopes of starting a house church. We knew that I needed to find seminary training first, but it took me nearly a year to discover a seminary that was both affordable and supported house churches. That’s when I found out about Reformation Seminary. In January of 2022, I began classes, and everything was going great…until June. The last day of June 2022 (just one day before my 5th wedding anniversary), I was laid off from my job of 12 years. That Sunday we went to church hoping to find support among our friends, only to find at the end of the service that our beloved pastor was stepping down. In the wake of that bombshell, we returned home sullen and shaken. It would be another week before we could ask for prayer from the congregation. A month later, in July, I still hadn’t found a job, but I was asked by the elder of the church to fill the pulpit, since I was in seminary and could use the training while they searched for a pastor. He even encouraged me to apply for the position - which I did, believing that this could possibly be the Lord redirecting my desire to plant a house church for a more conventional pastorate. But that didn’t change the fact that our money was running out. At the end of that month, we were about to run out completely. My wife and I both felt like it was all we could do to just keep breathing. Suddenly, we received an unexpected check from a friend which would cover all of our bills for the next two months. A wave of relief swept over us. We knew we were going to be ok. We knew the Lord would provide.

From August until October, I preached nearly every Sunday, falling more and more in love with the congregation, and receiving good feedback and encouragement from all of them. After a wonderful weekend retreat with the church, we approached the session with the intention to become members. However, the next day, the pastoral search committee informed me that they rejected my application - in favor of no one else that they knew of. Once again, we found ourselves shaken. After so much time had passed since submitting my application and only receiving encouraging notes, emails, and remarks from the congregation about my service in the pulpit, my wife and I had let our guard down, allowing ourselves to dream of me being the pastor of this church and raising our family alongside those people for the next 10, 20, 30 years. But now that was suddenly and completely shattered. And just like that, my goal to plant a house church became my main priority again. However, I was asked to continue filling the pulpit, and, even though it was hard, I did. It was within that same month, right before my friend’s generous gift ran out, the Lord allowed me to finally find a new job - at just the right time.

While eating at a new restaurant owned by my wife’s friend, I asked the owner if they were hiring. “We are,” she replied, “as of two hours ago. I just had someone submit their two weeks’ notice. If you had asked me this morning, I would have said no.” I was hired.

About two weeks later, in November of 2022, I graduated from Reformation Seminary and was eager to begin working towards the goal of planting a church. I was still being asked to fill the pulpit at our local church, and for the first time, we really began to feel like we had turned a corner and were finally going to bounce back from unemployment.

The graduating class of Reformation Seminary, Group 3; Nov. 2023, Sedona, AZ

But in January, I was confronted unexpectedly at a church leadership meeting. The main concern was my qualifications to fill a pulpit. Despite my education, ordination, and service over the last 6 months, the elders ultimately asked me to stop preaching. We were shaken once again, and not because I had been asked to stop preaching. It wasn’t my pulpit. I knew that I was rendering a service because I was asked to be there. Rather, it was the unprovoked and dismissive change in attitude towards me. This change shook us even more deeply than all the others - which is saying something. The handling of the situation prompted us (after much counsel from many other pastors) to leave the church. It was an incredibly difficult decision. And yet, in the time since we left, the Lord has allowed me to grow in favor and opportunity at my new job, and He began to encourage us with support from other churches and their parishioners to help meet our needs.

Strength For Today; Bright Hope for Tomorrow

Once again, why do I say all of this? Because after all of that, I still haven’t planted a church, and I don’t know when it will happen. But I do know this: that if the Lord decreed before the foundation of the world for Christ Jesus to die for Seth Dean, and worked all things together for my salvation, laying upon my feeble heart the mighty call to be a minister of His Holy Word and proclaimer of His sweet gospel, then He who began that work will bring it to completion. And He will do it in the fullness of His time. That is when I will plant a church. In God’s time.

What I have just laid before you is an overview of the past several years of my life. I wrote it so that you could see the work of the Lord of Time in my life. Each event happened at a decisive moment in time. They were all overseen and permitted by God. Despite the fear and heartbreak, the uncertainty or anger, all of these things were wrought together by God for our good…and for His glory. They are memorials to us now. Though we could think of them as scars or open wounds, that would be for us to revile the providence of the Almighty. They are stone pillars frozen in the past to remind us of the faithfulness of God despite our faithlessness; the goodness of our Heavenly Father toward His little children who squirm in His arms rather than rest on His grace. As we look back upon the many trials of the past year, we clearly see God’s daily provision for us in many ways, especially in Christ Jesus and also in the bread on our table. That which once melted our hearts and shook our weak knees now quickens our spirits, enlivens our faith, banishes anxiety, and strengthens our courage to continue on into the unknown - simply because He who called us to go is the Lord and He is faithful and He is good. As George Müller once put it,

"God delights to increase the faith of His children. We ought, instead of wanting no trials before victory, no exercise for patience, to be willing to take them from God's hands as a means. Trials, obstacles, difficulties and sometimes defeats, are the very food of faith.”1

So, even though there are days of discouragement where I feel like I have taken a wrong turn or squandered this opportunity or that, I am continually reminded that my mission to plant a church, to minister to God’s people, and to preach to the lost will be fulfilled exactly when the time is right. And in the meantime, I am simply to be faithful in the things that the Lord has given to me today. My wife needs my love and the security of my faithfulness. My children need my attention, my affection, and my correction. My job needs my best. And I am to be faithful in all of these things today. I cannot decide to be faithful tomorrow. As J.C. Ryle writes,

“Tomorrow is the devil’s day. But today is God’s.”2

This [is] the day the LORD has made; We will rejoice and be glad in it. [Psa 118:24 NKJV] So, as I am faithful in the little things today, I can trust that God is infinitely more faithful. He will not leave me nor forsake me (Deut 31:6,8). I have seen Him provide time and time again. Most of the time, He does it right in the nick of time. He has done it in the times where I have no faith, or when I am clinging desperately to faith. He has also provided for a need before I even knew I had one. The Lord provides ABUNDANTLY. The book of James says it this way, “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.” [Jas 1:17 NKJV]

In God’s Own Time

Why does this matter? It matters because Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever (Heb 13:8). Yes, those are delineations of time. This means that if God is faithful at any point in time, He is faithful at every point in time. Just because circumstances aren’t ideal doesn’t mean that God has abandoned you. Even if you are being persecuted for your faith, the Lord is good and faithful. Even if you are enjoying a season of plenty, the Lord is good and faithful. But God is good and faithful not because you are happy. He is good because He is. So be content and trust in Him.

Are you going through a season of despondency? Are you tempted to despair? Perhaps you’ve lost your job. Perhaps you’ve lost a loved one. You are waiting for happier days, but fear that God has forsaken you in these. Renounce that lie. Repent of it. Turn to God and praise Him for his faithfulness. Praise Him because He is worthy of praise. Tell Him your need and then trust that He has got it taken care of. Trust that He will bring you aid in His good timing. Are you in a season of anticipation? You have a call on your heart to be a pastor, perhaps? Maybe you are waiting for a door to open to that mission field that burdens your soul. Are you waiting for a child to be born or to find that godly spouse? Are you desperately seeking a way to pay the bills? Call on the Lord in your trouble, and wait. Our Lord, the Maker of Heaven and Earth, the Creator of Time, will provide for you in His own good time. Because time belongs to Him, and so do you.

Are you interested in joining a church plant in the Newport News/Hampton Roads, Virginia area? Contact us! Shoot us an email at thebattleandthebride@gmail.com.

FOOTNOTES:
1 George Müller Quotable Quotes. georgemuller.org. Retrieved June 26, 2023, from https://www.georgemuller.org/quotable-quotes.html
2 J.C. Ryle, Thoughts for Young Men (Moscow, ID: Canon Press, 2020), 6.