What happens between the drought and the rain determines when the next drought will be or if it will never happen again.
A pregnant woman who refuses to prepare for the birth of a child because of the pain she is experiencing will elongate the inconveniences she will experience both during the birth of the child and after.
There are precautions she needs to take concerning her diet and her lifestyle to ensure a less stressful delivery.
What we do at critical phases of our lives determines whether we eventually win or lose.
If we lose, how much we have lost, and if we win, how much we have won.
When Jesus ascended in Acts 1 – that was one of these kinds of phases for the disciples.
It was an opportunity for them to mourn, express their doubts, and be consumed by their flesh.
Their logic had the opportunity to hold sway – ‘was it worth it following this man, after all?’
They could rethink their entire life and make a decision, because the only hope they have left was the promise of the Holy Spirit.
What if He ended up not coming?
People will mock them, call them fools.
Remember, they didn’t have the Holy Spirit; they couldn’t speak in tongues.
Every one of the 10 days of waiting for the Holy Spirit would have been like a year.
But instead of swimming in self-pity and confusion, they tarried, praying, studying the Word of God, and strengthening each other.
No matter how much they cried or doubted, the Holy Spirit would still have come, but they would have lost some 10 days of peace.
Undertook an emotional distress that was totally unnecessary, and maybe went to their various houses, then missed the Gift of the Holy Spirit.
We saw another set of people who made the wrong decision while waiting, and they lost the promise.
In Exodus 32, Moses went up to the mountain to meet the Lord to receive instructions for the Israelites.
Instead of waiting on God, engaging in some fruitful adventure, these people decided to make an idol for themselves
and the Lord struck the people with a plague because of what they did with the calf Aaron had made. (Exodus 32:35)
None of them saw the Promised Land; they all died.
Even though they waited, they still lost the reward because of what they did while waiting.
When you are in between jobs, what do you do?
Waste time?
You’re already losing money every day that passes; you can’t afford to lose your time as well.
Do something, build something, write something.
I have been in situations where I wasn’t sure how I was going to feed together with my wife but I’ll pick up my laptop and write a book.
I still make money from one of the books I wrote in that season till today.
It was a phase; I am out of it now, but it didn’t leave a scar on me.
There is always something you can do.
Optimize your waiting time so you don’t lose more than what you’re lacking at the moment.
When waiting for rain, the farmer must keep tending to his farm even if he is hungry; if not, when the rain comes, there will be no farm to wet, and so shall the hunger of the farmer continue.
Every moment of life is important, no matter how hard – because it cannot be recovered.
Time will pass, no matter what you’re going through.
And time is a currency that God has given to all men equally; you can buy more with money – Yes, but you cannot create it.
It is the value that begets every other value – from time, you get money, good relationships, education, etc.
So remember to optimize it wisely while waiting.
We already have an assurance that when we wait on the Lord, our strength will be renewed and we shall mount up on wings as eagles.
But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.
Isaiah 40:31
Whatever you are waiting for, wait for it on the Lord or together with the Lord.
Don’t make decisions that will destroy what you are waiting for when it finally arrives.
As a single waiting to get married, don’t be a ‘serial-dater’ because it will hunt you when the marriage finally arrives.
Another thing you can do while waiting is ‘learning’; in fact, the knowledge you acquire can help you get your result faster. Many women looking for the fruit of the womb need to learn simple things about their periods, ovulation, fertile window, etc.
If they, together with their partners, consistently miss being intimate in the fertile window, there is no way they will ever be pregnant. And it is possible to miss it for years consistently; it’s just a few days in a month.
Sarah was another person who didn’t optimize her waiting time, and we are still suffering from it till today.
God had made a promise to her and Abraham,
And I will make thy seed to multiply as the stars of heaven, and will give unto thy seed all these countries; and in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed;
Genesis 26:4
It was specific and clear, but during the process of waiting, Sarah gave her maid, Hagar, to Abraham (Genesis 16:2), and he accepted her. They came together and gave birth to Ishmael.
The descendant of that child became a thorn in the flesh of the Israelites.
In the end, the promised child – Isaac was still born.
Here is a gentle reminder that God is with you.
No matter what it is that you’re going through.
Hold on to your peace, be in control, and don’t be swayed by the wind of your condition.
Don’t let the situation swallow you; God is with you.
Remember that, when you do, hold your head high and declare-
“I am a Winner”
“I am the Victor and not the Victim”
“He that is in me, is greater than He that is in the World” (1 John 4:4).
No matter what you see, don’t change your confession.
He is with you, and YOU ARE WINNING.
Hallelujah.