One of the common phrases in our society that is used to encourage people to take action is "seize the moment." It's a way of encouraging people to take advantage of opportunities that may not come their way again, and it is often sound wisdom. There are certainly many instances of key figures in the Bible who did just that.
As I am embarking on a new project at work, I took a broader view of that idea as I drove in this morning (with my commute, I have plenty of time for a very broad view of things). We are starting a project that will significantly change the processes and software programming for how our organization captures and reports it's budget (gets the blood pumping just thinking of that, doesn't it?), which we are targeting to roll out in June. That sounds like a long ways off, especially when it is 20 degrees outside like it is in DC this morning.
The Lord let me to think of that differently today, though. Jesus "siezed the moment" when he allowed Himself to be crucified, but that was only after three years of ministry and 30 years prior to that preparing for ministry. Abraham "siezed the moment" when he was ready to sacrifice his son Issac, but he didn't exactly roll out of bed that morning and say "okay, today I'll go whack my son." He had already invested many years of obedience to the Lord, strengthening his faith to be ready for that moment. When Joshua led the Israelites to take possession of the Promised Land, it was only after years of serving under Moses' leadership.
Many of us have our "moments" coming for us to seize, but they will often be only after lengthy preparation. You may have your moment today, but it is more likely that this will be another day of preparation. Don't despair, get angry, or give into frustration because you feel you aren't making enough progress toward your life's, and God's, goals. The Lord isn't really big on sharing His schedule with us, and often things we're been working for years to achieve seem to suddenly present themselves. If we are faithful in our preparation, God will be faithful in delivering on His timetable, which is ultimately the best for us.
I leave you this week with a quote from legendary football coach Vince Lombardi. He once told his team before a game, "Gentlemen, this game will be decided by the result of a handful of plays. Since I can't tell you in advance which ones they will be, you'll have to go out and play all of them." I take away from this 1) all the steps in a game/life are important and 2) you never know when a "game-changer" will occur, so you need to be ready at all times to seize that moment and walk in the fullness that God has planned for you which will ultimately bring Him the most glory.
This project I'm now involved in came up rather suddenly, but it was a moment to seize to bring about positive change for our organization. When I think about how long Jesus, Abraham, and Joshua prepared for their moments, working four months to reach one doesn't really seem like a very big deal at all.
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