Just a quick post about “sometimes.”

Many times we go before God praying, fasting, interceding for particular things.

When we get our answer, if we are brave enough, we’ll go forward in obedience to what He’s told us to do.

We give God a lip-quivering “yes”.

Then, as we go forward, we hit a road block. Something doesn’t work out right. Someone doesn’t do their part. Some glitch in the matrix keeps us from doing what He’s told us to do.

Sometimes we’re confused, perplexed, wondering “did I really hear God correctly? Maybe I was wrong?”

Sometimes we begin questioning God, thinking that maybe He’s changed His mind about the original plan.

Or maybe, just maybe, that “sometimes” was just an opportunity for God to prove us out.

I’m reminded of Abraham and his harrowing decision to lay his one and only son, Isaac, on the altar.

I can only imagine how long Abraham prayed for Isaac; even more so, I can only imagine how long he prayed to make sure he heard God correctly when he was told to sacrifice his answered prayer.

He too gave God a lip-quivering “yes.”

He got to the top of that mountain, laid Isaac on that altar and a “sometimes” happened.

Things didn’t go as planned.

I’m sure Abraham felt like he heard God correctly.

I’m sure Abraham knew he was being obedient to the voice of God.

But sometimes things don’t go as planned.

Sometimes we go through all of the motions of getting to obedience only for our proverbial bushes begin to rustle with a ram, a different plan.

We know Abraham’s story — he goes on to sacrifice the ram in place of his son — and there will be many more times Abraham will have to prove himself to get to the place God had for him —  but there’s something to be said about the process of obedience that requires us to go the steps of proving ourselves. We’re showing God that,”hey, even if this doesn’t go as planned, I’ll go forward with a yes on my lips anyway.”

Sometimes “sometimes” happens. We wonder why things didn’t go as planned especially when we’re confident that God has told us to do something.

But think about this: look at what you had to overcome to get to that moment of proving out your faith: fear, pride, anxiousness, humility, a Stretch Armstrong type pulling of your mind, emotions, body…

Sometimes God gets us through this process of obedience only to be like, “PSYCHE! Nah, never mind… I have something else waiting.”

Sometimes we get frustrated, annoyed, discontent with having to do “aaaallll of this!” and not getting the results.

But because we walked through that process, we are now prepared to walk to an even greater level of obedience; we’ve conquered those pesky fears — so when it’s time to do it again, we’re ready. Fearless. We’ve been there, done that.

So don’t take your delay as a means of beating yourself up for “getting it wrong” or accuse God of being a Schizophrenic (although I did diagnose him as OCD a while back). Take a look at your process through the obedience. Did you change? Did you grow?

If so, you’re ready to face what’s next — where “sometimes” turn to “definites.”

On the definitive chase,

Alisha L.