“…so He made it again into another vessel, as it seemed good to the potter to make.” Jeremiah 18:4
God is faithful to take us into a new season of life, but there are times when preparation is necessary for us to move forward. Seasons of preparation occur throughout our life, preceding new levels in our relationships, influence, contributions, ministry or career. God has purpose in everything, including the transitions necessary to make us ready for what’s ahead. God has a wide variety of purposes for seasons of transition, but all are meant to prepare us for going higher in Him.
One purpose for preparation is strengthening. At times God will allow us to become uncomfortable in transition because when we endure and press through difficulty, we get stronger. Another purpose is refinement. God allows pressures to bring flaws to the surface in order to expose them and deal with them. Another purpose for preparation is restoration. Sometimes we don’t even realize that we were wounded from a previous experience, a wound that needs to be healed if we are to be effective in the phase we are being prepared for. Another purpose is edification. God wants to build us up spiritually through greater time given to prayer and study. Another purpose is as simple as rest – sometimes we need physical rest, or maybe we need emotional or mental rest from stress that we’ve experienced. It could be that God wants us to spend time with our spouse or our kids or a parent. It could be that God wants us to have some time to do something that we love or to go some place that we want to go. Another purpose for preparation is education or developing a skill. Sometimes getting to another level requires that you pull back and devote time to learning something new, something that you need to know in order to operate in a new position.
Just knowing that there is a purpose in our season can help us to embrace our preparation so we can adapt ourselves to what is necessary for the road ahead. We must be determined that we are going to get everything we need in times of preparation. The Lord knows what we need for the next phase of our life, and He is faithful to get us there.
Application: It takes courage to press through preparation time and to rise up to a new level. Have courage! Gather strength! Know that the God that loves you is faithful to carry you from one level to another level in Him.