PREPARATION | How To Wait On God Before Deployment

God takes time to prepare His servants.

Have you heard about the growth of a Chinese bamboo tree?

Despite daily fertilization and watering, the bamboo seed shows no signs of growth for five years, until it germinates and emerges from the ground.

In the fifth year, it grows fast. “In a six-week period, the Chinese bamboo tree grows to a staggering ninety feet tall – the tree has even been measured to grow 122 cm (48 inches) in just a 24-hour period.”[1]

In the silent five years with nothing happening above ground, the roots are growing deeper and broader to prepare for rapid growth.

Bamboo is stronger than steel and is used for bicycle frames and construction. Its fibre is used to make clothes, sheets, and towels due to its antibacterial qualities.[2] All these and more uses would not be possible without years of silent, dark underground growth.

Imagine you’re seated in your office at work when a prophet appears and anoints you to lead your nation, yet your country’s president is still in power. But it’s kept a secret.

Later, when the news reaches the president that you’re brilliant in your career, he calls you to serve in his office.

Because you succeed in every assignment he gives you, he soon becomes insecure and jealous. He plots to eliminate you.

When your country gets attacked, he deploys you with his army to destroy the enemies of the state, hoping you’ll get killed. You not only survive, but also come back stronger and more victorious.

The president decides enough is enough; he has to assassinate you himself. He tries twice, but you escape each time.

Fortunately, his son is your best friend. After learning that, indeed, his father wants you dead, you go into exile.

The president doesn’t forget about you but pursues you in the neighbouring country where you sought refuge. You live as a rebel, though you know the presidency awaits you at a time you don’t know.

On two occasions, you get opportunities to ambush and kill the president because of his bodyguard’s inefficiency, but you don’t pull the trigger because you regard him as God’s anointed.

For over twelve years, you live as a rebel and fugitive before the president dies, and then the people summon you back and vote you to become their next president.

Your name is King David.

In another scenario, imagine you’re in your teens when you start having dreams of becoming a great person in your country, and everyone, including your parents and older siblings, bows before you.

Naively, you share these dreams with your siblings, who envy you, attempt to kill you, but instead decide to sell you off as a slave to a far land.

Life gets tough. All your dreams are dashed.

In a foreign land, you work for an important man in the land. His wife has a crush on you, but because you refuse to sleep with her, she frames you for rape.

You’re thrown into prison, but with God’s help, your gift of understanding and interpreting dreams brings you before the president.

He is so impressed with your wisdom that he makes you the Prime Minister. A few years later, your siblings who sold you come to ask for your help and bow before you.

Your name is Joseph, the son of Jacob.

Benefits of Proactive Waiting

Waiting for God’s plan to unfold in your life is one of the most challenging and difficult experiences. But it’s also the most rewarding!

Patience is painful. Waiting is hard.

Like soldiers who undergo rigorous training before going into battle and athletes who discipline themselves before a race, we, too, must undergo training before God deploys us to our assignments.

Many years ago, I purchased a book titled “In the meantime: The Practice of Proactive Waiting” by Rob Brendle.[3]  He introduced me to the concept of proactive waiting.

He defines proactive waiting as “trusting, seeking and looking to God for the dream’s fulfillment while we seek to grow, stretch and forge usable tools for the future from the raw iron of life’s unalterable seasons.”

A careful examination of how God works in the Bible reveals a God who approaches men and women He wants to use, initiates an awareness of His assignment for their lives, and guides them through years of training and waiting.

If you were David or Joseph, what would you do in the meantime before your dreams or significant assignments came to pass?

Waiting prepares your heart to handle what God will soon place in your hands. It transforms your mindset, allowing you to focus on what truly matters. If something good dropped into your life too early, it might overwhelm you, steal your heart, and cause you to worship it.

Like the Bamboo tree that needs constant watering and fertilization before tangible results, God breaks your heart before the breakthrough.

He even goes further than that. He kills you. His new agenda in your life must replace the old agenda. You must die to self, to sin, and to you, what you thought your life was all about.

In Christ, death brings life and multiplication. Therefore, we have to come to a place of giving up, selling out, or hating our lives for His sake.

Jesus said,

“Truly, truly, I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat

falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a seed;

but if it dies, it bears much fruit.

Whoever loves his life will lose it,

but whoever hates his life in this world

will keep it for eternal life.

(John 12:24-25)

When you’re hidden from view, God is squeezing out and uprooting the lies you have believed about life, pride, independence, ego, and sins that would hinder the fulfillment of His will for your life.

Then He plants truth, love, humility, holiness, and total dependence on Him. His Spirit produces lasting fruit in you. Now you look and act like Christ, and those who know can testify that you’ve been with Christ and, therefore, are a true Christian.

You might be in a career, church, or country you dislike. You might feel that you’re not living the life God intended for you. But if you trust Him, be confident you’re exactly where you need to be according to His plan.

The Bible says;

“The steps of a man are ordered by the LORD
who takes delight in his journey.”

(Psalms 37:23)

God said to the Israelites;

“I am the LORD your God,
who teaches you for your benefit,
who directs you in the way you should go.”

(Isaiah 48:17)

Do you believe God is directing your steps? Do you often ask Him to direct you? (Proverbs 3:5-6)

In the undesirable, dull, and dark place where you are, God is shaping your character to become the person He wants you to be.

You may be tempted to run away from the process, but hang in there. Endure the pain. Don’t seek shortcuts.

When Sarah mistreated Hagar, she ran away to the desert. She had not yet given birth to Ishmael. The angel met her and told her to return and submit to her mistress.

After hearing the wonderful plans God had for her son, she declared. “You are the God who sees me.” She went back and bore a son for Abraham. (Genesis 16)

El Roi – The God who sees me. Genesis 16:13

God sees you, too.

Like Hagar, don’t be in a hurry to move from where God has positioned you until you’re sure it’s His timing. And usually, you won’t have to do much to move. God himself will orchestrate the circumstances to move you.

We crush wheat to make bread; we squeeze grapes to make wine; we knead and burn clay to make bricks and pots! A. W. Tozer said that the Lord cannot fully bless a man until He has first conquered him.[4]

Has God conquered you?

If a person resists this crushing, pruning, and squeezing, their end won’t be pleasant!

God uses broken and holy vessels.

Apostle Paul told Timothy;

“So if anyone cleanses himself of what is unfit,

he will be a vessel for honor: sanctified,

useful to the Master,

and prepared for every good work.”

(2 Timothy 2:21)

We often hear in the news of successful people who blew it and lost everything at the height of their achievement. Usually, something went wrong in their preparation and discipleship.

I don’t wish that for you and me.

Our Biggest Problem: We Think We Know Better

Motivational speakers tell us to take charge of our destiny. They claim that positive thinking, or the law of attraction, can help us achieve whatever we want, and that if we work smart and never give up, we can achieve our goals every time.

I wonder how many people believe such empty and false promises and die disappointed?

It’s no surprise that some Christians are shocked when they don’t get what they ask for from God, as if He owes them and must pay them back.

God told Job;

“Who has given to Me that I should repay him?
Everything under heaven is Mine.”

(Job 41:11)

Here is a truth to remember: we’re incapable of knowing what we really need without God’s help. As Christians, we know we’re not in charge of our lives.

Prophet Jeremiah wrote;

“It’s not in our power to plan

the course of our lives or control our destiny.”

(Jeremiah 10:23 _NLT)

Several times, I’ve made decisions I thought were in my best interest, only to crash and come back before God, ashamed and in tears. I learnt the hard way that;

“There is a way that seems right to a man,
but its end is the way of death.”

(Proverbs 14:12)

So, you see, we don’t know better. Only God knows what’s best. And because His ways and thoughts are different from ours, we should stop trying to figure everything out and trust Him. (Isaiah 55:8-9)

That also means we should be and do what God expects of us rather than pursuing what we think is good for us. He is the potter who designed us according to His assignment for our lives. Won’t we find meaning, fulfillment, and success in that which He leads us into?

King Solomon wrote;

“Everything has already been decided.

It was known long ago what each person would be.

So there’s no use arguing with God about your destiny.”

(Ecclesiastes 6:10)

6 Things To Do Before God’s Deployment

#1: Surrender The Times Of Your Life To God

King Solomon wrote;

“Yes, God has made everything beautiful

for its own time…”

(Ecclesiastes 3:11 _NLT)

God has set a time for everything. He has set the seasons of winter and summer, night and day, rain and sunshine, as well as planting and harvest.

The times or seasons of your life are in His hands. (Psalms 31:15) He knows the season you’re in right now, and He knows when He’ll cross you over to the next season.

Just because you’re going through trying times today does not mean you’ll be in the same place next year or the year after. And even if you were to remain there for years, you’d be right on schedule.

Moses spent 40 years in the wilderness looking after the sheep of his father-in-law. I’m sure he didn’t think of rescuing the Israelites anymore, but God had an appointment with him at the burning bush.

Sometimes we set deadlines for what we want to achieve or when we think God should answer. But that’s not our business. It’s His business.

There was a time in my single life when I resolved to get married at the start of each year, regardless of when God saw fit for me. I should have focused on getting ready for marriage and left the time element in His hands.

One time, Jesus’ brothers felt it was time to show His works to the public and encouraged Him to do so. He answered them;

“Although your time is always at hand,

My time has not yet come.”

(John 7:6)

Before he ascended to heaven, the discipled asked Jesus when He would restore the Kingdom of Israel. He answered them;

“It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by His own authority.”

(Acts 1:7)

We should learn to leave matters of timing in God’s hands. Our focus should be on doing what’s required of us today and trusting God to manage our tomorrow.

You should never doubt God’s love for you. His plans for you are for good. He’d like to give you certain things now, but sees you aren’t ready for them. Allow Him to use every opportunity or experience to teach you something, thereby maturing you so you can be in a better position to contain what He has in store for you and complete your life’s assignments.

In the devotional “Streams In The Desert,” on July 4^th, the author made a sad yet true observation: “We tend to want to pick our blessings from the tree while they are still green, yet God wants us to wait until they are fully ripe.”

Even the wise men of Africa said, ‘Hurry, hurry has no blessing,’ and the English say, ‘Great haste makes great waste!’

This is the dilemma of life; much speed is dangerous, but little speed is wasteful. Harvest grapes while they are still green, and they become useless; pick them too late, and they are unusable.

We can’t tell where we’re at many moments in our lives, but God knows. We can trust Him to order our steps. (Jeremiah 10:23, Proverbs 20:24)

When Abraham tried to fulfil God’s promise through his effort, he bore Ishmael. (Galatians 4:23) That simple action caused problems for his family and future generations. It is problematic to possess Ishmael spouses, Ishmael jobs, Ishmael children, Ishmael money, just because we could not wait!

Let God do His work in you and for you in His way and time. Wait for Isaac rather than chase after and settle for Ishmael.

When Martha and Mary called Jesus to come and heal their brother Lazarus, Jesus didn’t go right away. He arrived four days later when their brother was dead, buried, and stinking.

But when Jesus arrived, He called the dead brother out of the grave. They thought it was over because God missed their timing, but Jesus did a great miracle, and many Jews put their faith in Him. (John 11)

When God answers your prayers in His perfect time, you’ll know He makes everything beautiful in its time.

Therefore, leave matters of seasons and times in His good timing. He is always on time.

#2: Allow God To Change The Way You Think

We need to view life from God’s perspective, as revealed in His Word. Self-help books can be helpful to some extent, but the Word of God is living and able to transform the deepest parts of our lives.

When we allow the Word of God to renew our minds, we learn to recognize His good, pleasing, and perfect will. (Romans 12:1-2)

Even when you have no opportunity for formal training, you can study your Bible and borrow books so you can know God and yourself better.

Our minds need to continue growing and not remain idle and disorganized. Read books about your career and be aware of what’s going on in your industry. Also, read and listen to stuff outside your scope to keep your mind sharp and informed.

The only book that can make you smarter than you can ever be is the Bible. Study it. Meditate on it. Obey it.

The Psalmist wrote;

“Oh, how I love Your law!
All day long it is my meditation.
Your commandments make me wiser

than my enemies,
for they are always with me.
I have more insight than all my teachers,
for Your testimonies are my meditation.
I discern more than the elders,
for I obey Your precepts.

(Psalms 119:97-100)

#3: Seek God’s Perfect Will, Not His Permissive Will

Forcing or begging God to do as we please can get us what we want, but with negative consequences. For instance, the Israelites wanted a king to be like other nations and missed having God as their only King.

Years earlier, they had complained and asked for meat, but it came with a plague. (Numbers 11:33)

Ishmael was the firstborn son of Abraham and Sarah. He wasn’t the one God had promised them. Fortunately, God fulfilled His perfect will by giving them Isaac.

King Hezekiah asked God to extend his life, but during the extra 15 years, he exposed the treasures to the envoys of Babylon, displeasing God. He also bore a son who became an evil king for 55 years.

Therefore, it is wise to ask God and conclude with, “Your will and not my will be done.” When God answers and blesses according to His will, He adds no sorrow. (Proverbs 10:22)

#4: Seek God’s Counsel In All Decisions

When making decisions about business, marriage, neighbourhood to live in, and where to take our children to school, among others, we should involve God.

David was indeed a man after God’s heart because he inquired of the Lord most of the time.

When the Amalekites raided David’s camp and took their wives and properties, he didn’t rush to attack them but asked the Lord;

“Should I pursue these raiders? Will I overtake them?” “Pursue them,” the LORD replied, “for you will surely overtake them and rescue the captives.”

(1 Samuel 30:8)

On another occasion;

“Now it was reported to David,

“Look, the Philistines are fighting against Keilah

and looting the threshing floors.”
So David inquired of the LORD,

“Should I go and attack these Philistines?”
And the LORD said to David, “Go and attack the Philistines and save Keilah.”

(1 Samuel 23:1-2)

After saving the town, Saul learned David was at Keilah. He gathered his forces to go down to Keilah and trap David and his men. David didn’t rely on the assurances of the men of Keilah, whom he had rescued, to protect him. Instead, he asked the Lord whether they would hand him over to Saul.

“Will the citizens of Keilah surrender me into his hand? Will Saul come down, as Your servant has heard? O LORD, God of Israel, please tell Your servant.”
“He will,” said the LORD.
So David asked, “Will the citizens of Keilah surrender me and my men into the hand of Saul?”
“They will,” said the LORD.

(1 Samuel 23:11-12)

Then David gathered his men and left Keilah.

Let me share with you what our family went through a few years ago.

My wife and I felt sorry for a single mother in our church who needed a home to stay. I suggested we bring her to our two-bedroom rented house. But we prayed about it first. That night, my wife dreamt a big snake had entered our house. We sensed God was warning us against taking her in.

Weeks later, we learned she got into trouble wherever she stayed and often left on bad terms, telling lies about her hosts. I believe God saved us from unnecessary heartache.

Every time you do anything without inquiring of the Lord, you’re declaring, “I know what I am doing.” And that’s usually a failure even before you start. It’s a clear sign of pride that comes before a fall. (Proverbs 16:18)

If God doesn’t go with you to war, you’re defeated before the fight. That’s what happened to the Israelites when they went to war, but their enemies battered and chased them like a person running from a swarm of bees. They returned home, wept, and, as a result, stayed there for a long time. (Deuteronomy 1:26-46)

Read the story of how the Gibeonites tricked Joshua into making a covenant with them because they didn’t ask the Lord in Joshua 9.

Please study these scriptures about God’s willingness to guide us into His will. (Proverbs 3:5-6, Jeremiah 33:3, Psalms 37:23, John 16:13-14)

The Psalmist wrote;

“You guide me with your counsel,

Leading me to a glorious destiny.”

(Psalms 73:24)

Once He guides, be quick to obey or apply His counsel in your situation. When you are faithful with the little direction or obey the small truth, He will give you bigger directions and entrust you with more truth.

#5: Wait Patiently As God Trains You

The key lessons and tests of life come from everyday activities. The experiences that build a firm foundation of faith and character in us will often come dressed in the overalls of service, testing, and suffering.

God prepared or trained Abraham (25 years), Joseph (13 years), David (13 years), Moses (80 years), and Jesus (30 years). They waited for the right time to undertake the key assignments of their lives according to God’s will for them.

Similarly, don’t be surprised or resist when God moves you out of your usual life or comfort zone. It’s part of His process to pour out the old thinking and ways, so He can fill you with His Word, build your character, help you grow in your purpose, and clarify His assignments for your life.

Remember, God is more concerned about your character than your accomplishments. Character always precedes commissioning.

The process of preparation and training is more important than the position God will give you. And trials or tests that require endurance are God’s tools for character acquisition. What better time than now to develop your character?

Prophet Jeremiah wrote;

“And it is good for people to submit

to the yoke of his discipline at an early age.”

(Lamentation 3:27 _NLT)

Don’t despair under God’s discipline. Allow Him to shape you, crush you, prune you, purify you, sharpen you, and you’ll come out strong and complete, ready to serve and soar like the eagle.

The author of Hebrews writes;

“No discipline seems enjoyable at the time,

but painful. Later on, however,

it yields a harvest of righteousness

and peace to those who have been trained by it.”

(Hebrews 12:11)

Please relax. Don’t be desperate to have something or get somewhere.

Let God train you first.

What’s the point of promoting you and giving you resources, recognition, or accomplishments now, only to fail because you were too immature to handle them? The Hebrew proverb says, “Grapes picked too early don’t even make good vinegar.”

Remember what Apostle Paul wrote;

“But reject irreverent, silly myths.

Instead, train yourself for godliness.

For physical exercise is of limited value,

but godliness is valuable in every way,

holding promise for the present life

and for the one to come.

This is a trustworthy saying,

worthy of full acceptance.”

(1 Timothy 4:8)

I’ve seen and heard of well-meaning, focused individuals who tried to make it in life without prioritizing God or receiving proper training, only to lose everything and ultimately fail.

But you, my dear friend, can finish strong with God’s help.

#6: Wait For God To Act On Our Behalf

The Red Sea moments when we’re stuck and surrounded come to us all. This is when we’ve done everything we know how and nothing changes.

After one rejection from a girl I loved, I felt helpless and hopeless. I had tried every trick in the book to win her heart, but she was as immovable as Mount Everest. I didn’t know what to do anymore.

One day in my Bible reading, I came across this verse;

“From ancient times no one has heard,
no ear has perceived,
no eye has seen any God besides You,
who acts on behalf of those who wait for Him.”

(Isaiah 64:4)

I learnt that waiting was not an idle activity. God works as I wait. A few years later, I met a wonderful girl, Damalie, whom I married. God gave me what I needed at the right time.

Waiting on God to act on your behalf is a pure demonstration of faith, trust, reliance, and confidence in Him. In such times, God becomes your Deliverer, Redeemer, Defender, Restorer, and Vindicator.

When you lift your hands in surrender and focus on God alone, you’re nearing deliverance. He wants you to arrive at rest, peace, and joy no matter what you’re going through.

“For the Lord GOD,

the Holy One of Israel, has said:
“By repentance and rest
you would be saved;
your strength would lie in quiet confidence—
but you were not willing.”

(Isaiah 30:15)

When God says the waiting is over, He makes a way through the Red Sea, causes streams to flow in the desert, and scatters your enemies in different directions.

When He delivers you in His way and perfect timing, you won’t claim the victory, saying, ‘I did it.’ But you’ll return all the glory to Him who delivered you, saying, ‘He did it.”

God takes time to prepare those He will use for His glory. The process of shaping your character, knowing God personally, and experiencing humble service makes you a vessel of honour.

See Him as a potter who knows exactly what He is moulding. When you look at the shapeless lump of clay on His table, you can’t figure out what He is up to. However, as He makes progress, a clear picture of what He is creating begins to take shape.

Waiting on God feels like a demotion, delay, and detention. However, as a child of God, you should never be idle or jobless – because you have the vital duty of growing in your general purpose, specific assignments as you use your gifts, talents, and skills to serve others. This job doesn’t cease as long as you breathe! And it pays highly in God’s currency!

Though the desert days of preparation are lightless, hopeless, helpless, and directionless, God is in control and knows the reason for that season in your life.

When the preparation is complete, the call for deployment will come, and the fruit of the preparation will be realized.

Blessed are those God prepares, for they shall be faithful, fruitful, and joyful.

The Psalmist says;

“Wait patiently for the LORD;
be strong and courageous.
Wait patiently for the LORD!”

(Psalms 27:14)

[1] https://www.energygardener.com/blog/the-chinese-bamboo-tree. Accessed 25/7/24

[2] https://interestingengineering.com/innovation/bamboo-as-a-replacement-to-steel. Accessed 1/10/25

[3] Rob Brendle, In the meantime: The Practice of Proactive Waiting, Published by Waterbrook, 2006. ISBN-13: 9781400070084

[4] https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/10269886-the-experiences-of-men-who-walked-with-god-in-olden. Accessed 1/10/25