God Writes Novels, Not Sitcoms

By a virtual show of hands, how many of you expected more out of your life this past year? You had dreams of breaking into this new year with something special. Don't be shy. We all probably lifted up a silent prayer last year that it would bring our hearts’ desires.

You prayed, you waited, maybe even fasted. So what happened? I wish I had an answer for you. But what I can tell you is that if you haven't seen the end of your story yet, perhaps it is still yet to come. Let me explain.

Yes, the Bible has plenty of “suddenly's”. Elijah went up in a whirlwind suddenly (2 Kings 2:11). Jesus appeared suddenly to the disciples after His resurrection according to (Matthew 28:9). Even God created the entire universe in just under a week (Genesis 2:2).

Things can always happen quickly, but more often than not, I find that many of God's miracles are on a slow burn. When I flip through the Old Testament, I find story after story of people who knew what it was to wait on God. Think about Abraham or David... These guys waited years upon years for God to deliver on His promises. Whether it was waiting on a son in the midst of barrenness or hiding in a cave hoping that his enemies wouldn't kill him, these were men of quivering yet unbreakable faith.

Think about the birth of Jesus. The coming of a Messiah was something that people predicted for generations. Many heroes of the faith went to their graves still waiting to see that promise fulfilled.

We live in an A.D. kind of world, but if we were able to ask prophets like Isaiah what it was like back then, I'm sure they would say, "It took forever for Christ to get here."

I say all this to say that God writes novels, not sitcoms. He specializes in miracles that take time. He doesn't cheaply wrap up our stories in a half hour. He's into setting the scene and fleshing out every character and every plot line down to its last detail.

I'm in the middle of writing a novel right now, and I can attest that it takes a while. I create back stories and intricate plot twists. I have to take my characters through all kinds of crazy things to get them to my perfect ending, which I've already planned out. When I get frustrated with how long it's taking, I press through and remember that God is an author too. He's writing my story and He's writing yours. It may seem like it's taking a long time, but trust me, the ending will be worth it.

Copyright Jennifer E. Jones. Used by permission.