The Middle of Transition

“…who knows whether you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this? (Esther 4:14b)

One tradition that comes along with the beginning of a new year is making New Year’s Resolutions. Usually, beginning around the last week in December, people around the world begin to make lists of what they are going to resolve in the coming year.

One by one, they list the do’s and don’ts that are purposed to give them a new life, a better life, and a changed life in the year to come.

However, some say that New Year’s Resolutions, even though their intentions are good, do not last past the first month of the year. So, with time, the terminology has changed to goals. People began to ask, “What are your goals for the new year?” Thinking, maybe if we use the term goals, the word will have a more positive spin and sound as if we’re moving forward into something.

Whether we use the words resolutions or goals, change should occur either way you look at it.

Now that we’re in the Second Quarter of the year, how are the commitments you made to yourself going?

Did you make any at all?

If you didn’t, don’t worry. I’m not going to ask you to share them with me. But I am going to ask you to meditate on this thought.

We are in a Month of Transition. Let’s hold on to this proposition, and we’ll pick it up later.

Now, if you’ve ever watched the TV sitcom, The Golden Girls, you’ll know that every time Sophia Pertrillo, the show’s matriarch, began to tell a story, she would start with, “Picture it, Sicily 19…”.

Well, picture it, Exodus the sixteenth chapter, the first verse, the children of Israel find themselves in the second month of the Hebraic calendar –– the month in which they transition from Egypt to Mount Sinai by way of the wilderness.

This journey was not just a geographical change. It was a relational transition. God’s chosen people were embarking upon a new level in their relationship with Him.

Was it a smooth shift? I would say not. Israel murmured and complained the whole time.

“What shall we drink?” (Exodus 15:24)

We’re hungry. “… you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger.” (Exodus 16:3)

“Why is it you have brought us up out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and our livestock with thirst?” (Exodus 17:3)

What Israel failed to realize is God was in control. He had a plan, and there was a purpose behind each test they went through.

It is during times of testing that God builds character and strengthens our faith. The writer of Romans 5:3 – 4 tells us, “We also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; ⁴ and perseverance, character; and character, hope.”

Israel failed to live a life of submission, and because of their failure, the older generation died in the wilderness transition.

You’ll recall; I said earlier we were in the month of transition. I will dare even to go further to say, spiritually, we are in the middle of the transition — 2-days shy of being halfway through April.

Like Israel, the first quarter of this year may have proven to be a Quarterly Exam — a time of testing. I say to you; God is transforming us so that when He looks down from heaven, He sees a reflection of a mirror image of Himself.

For these last fifteen days of the month, dive deep into the presence of God. Allow Him to purge you and wash you with His word. Choose your words wisely, and do not let the enemy take you down a path of grumbling. Let praise and worship fill your mouth no matter what the situation looks like.

For, on the other side of this pandemic is an assignment. An assignment only you can complete. It could be minor, or it could be one of magnitude. No matter the size, it is an essential role for an appointed time.

We say, God, “Manifest your kingdom realm, and cause your every purpose  to be fulfilled on earth, just as it is in heaven.” (Matthew 6:10, TPT)

Join me next week for Coffee on The Couch