As I stood reviewing my 2019 vision board, I felt a bit saddened by the fact that I had not made significant progress on my number 1 goal. This goal I had simply labeled “House” to indicate my desire to own my own home.
As I stood in my disappointment, the Lord spoke to me:
God: “Are you sure what you wanted to be done regarding house aligned with my intent?”
Me: (confused) “Lord, what do you mean?”
He then reminded me that at the beginning of 2019, I had expressed a strong desire to move from the house and area in which I was renting because I did not like the landlord/his son and disliked the surrounding area and what it represented. He then guided my thoughts to the fact that I was now standing in a different house. After house-hunting for 3 months, He had guided me to an apartment that I fell in love with on sight. He had also provided the means to ensure that I could afford to live there comfortably.
At the reminder, I paused, stunned. My perspective of the goal had not been realized but God’s has. Not only that, I had wasted an entire year trying to make my version of the goal fit in a season that it was not meant to bear fruit. It was then the thought dropped in my spirit: “When writing and acting on the vision, ensure your version of the goal aligns with God’s.”
So often in our haste to achieve what God has promised us, we fail to confirm that our version of the vision aligns with His. In that moment, I could relate to Abraham whom God had promised would become the father of many nations. To fulfil this promise, God intended to give Abraham and his wife a true heir, a legitimate son, in the right season.
However, it would seem that Abraham and Sarah’s desire did not align with God’s. Tired of waiting for the true heir, their desire centered on just getting a “son”. Similar to my definition of “house” that misaligned with God’s seasonal intent, Abraham’s definition of “son” misaligned with God’s intended season of provision. Their desire for that son led to them “helping” God out. So, Abraham had an illegitimate son (Ishmael) with Hagar, his wife’s handmaid.
The story doesn’t end there! In due season, just as He had promised, God gave Abraham and Sarah the promised son (Issac) and Hagar and Ishmael are sent away when Issac is weaned.
Today, the repercussions of that misalignment are still evident. The descendants of Issac and Ishmael still disagree over who is the true heir to Abraham’s Covenant blessings. From this disagreement stems the Middle East conflict between the Arabs (Muslims) and the Jews.
Wouldn’t you agree that it would have been better if Abraham had waited? I am happy that my repercussions were just limited to roadblocks and disappointments.
Don’t rush the process. Take time to consult God and trust the pace of Grace. Ensure you and God are aligned on the goals He wants you to work on. Don’t miss God’s season of provision because you focused on the wrong goal. Once God has ordained it, whatever you are waiting for will fit in due season.
