Pastor’s Corner: “Don’t Miss God in the Transitions”
Ecclesiastes 3:1 (AMPC) – To everything there is a season, and a time for every matter or purpose under heaven:
Transitions in life are hard. They mean that one part of your life’s story is over and a new one is about to begin. They are the space between where faith is tested and fear fights to creep in. They are a temporary no man’s land that we have to walk through in order to grow. As we walk through them, it’s hard to see what’s coming next. The territory is so unknown to us that we put our attention and focus on the transition rather than on where we’re being transitioned to. We question God’s providence in our situation during these times.
Transition defined is, “The act of passing from one state or place to the next,” or “an event that results in a transformation.” Sometimes new seasons are welcome, and other times they are dreaded. It also depends on whether or not you see the new season coming. Kids hate transitions as much as adults. I learned that it helps if I tell them that we are going to be making a change in activities and give them time to finish what they were doing to prepare mentally for what was coming next. Adults need the same thing.
Our country is facing a big transition today. Normally the transition from one presidential administration to the next is not that impactful. We experience it every 4 to 8 years and most people do not even notice. But with the hostile and divisive environment that we face today (political, cultural and racial) in the middle of a health crisis, this transition is producing much more angst, fear and resistance. While we are facing a transfer of power from one political party to another, one ideology to another, we need to remember: God’s Power is never transferred, no matter what kind of transitions we face in our lives! Joshua 1:9 (ESV) – Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”
Most of us wish God would warn us about transitions approaching in our lives and the why’s behind them. I want to remind you how many times Jesus told the disciples what was going to happen to Him in Jerusalem and why. They never heard a word of it and were shocked in the Garden of Gethsemane. They entered a time of transition between having Jesus walk with them daily and having the Holy Spirit coming as their guide. Like us, they were confused, frightened and wondered where God was in the transition.
God speaks to each of us daily. He says things we ignore or don’t want to hear so we block Him. We use our selective hearing when He speaks of things that scare us. The disciples heard Jesus tell them about the transition, but they weren’t listening. Even when we know a transition is coming, it’s still natural to be scared. We’re afraid of change. Change is necessary for growth. When we fight it, we fight growing, we fight the future God had for us and we fight God’s will. Times of transition help prepare us for the change and they grow our faith and trust in God’s plan for our life. It’s something we can only see when we take the time to look back. Remember the words from King Solomon the wise: To everything there is a season, and a time for every matter or purpose under heaven (Ecclesiastes 1:3). There is a reason and purpose from heaven for this transition we are facing today. There is no purpose, plan or scheme of men outside of the power and purposes of God.
Imagine if Peter and the others had stayed locked up in their house and never went to the upper room. Out of 500 people whom Jesus told to go and wait, only 120 made it through the transition. They were tough enough to stick it out and trusted that God had something more on the other side of the transition. As He did for them, so He does for you.
God has something greater for you in the midst of and on the other side of this time of transition. It may take longer than you expect, but hang on. The reward will be worth it. The growth you will experience will be like no other time in your life. And it is in these major life transitions that we re-discover our purpose, what God made us for. Don’t give up in the time of transition. Hold strong to your faith and trust God to see you through! Isaiah 43:19 (NLT) –19 For I am about to do something new. See, I have already begun! Do you not see it? I will make a pathway through the wilderness. I will create rivers in the dry wasteland.
In His Grace,
Pastor Hamilton