By Sister DeAnna Pruitte
You get on the road, haven’t been driving for two hours yet, when all of a sudden you hear, “are we there yet?” Knowing that you have quite a few hours left on the road trip, you sigh to yourself and realize that you will hear that same question at least 20 times more over the next few hours.
That’s how it is sometimes when we are seeking for something from the Lord. This is especially true when what we are asking for takes longer than a few days or weeks to come. We may be waiting on that house, car, a situation at work to change, a child to get right, a loved one to come home, or better yet—for the Lord to baptize us with His precious gift of the Holy Ghost. While we wait, sometimes we get a little antsy and get into an, Are we there yet? mentality.
Have you ever been tarrying (praying and praising God) on the altar and your lower back starts to hurt? All of a sudden, your voice begins to crack, your words start running together and you feel a little embarrassed, thinking to yourself, “I hope no one mistook that for me trying to speak in tongues.” Next, the most random thoughts come to your mind, “I hope no one comes and starts praying over me, I just want to be alone right now,” or “Man, this persons breath smells pretty bad. What did I eat for lunch again? I hope my breath doesn’t smell as bad.” Then comes the frustration of, “How many times do I have to say ‘thank you Jesus’ and ‘Hallelujah’ before God decides to do this for me?” Or, “If God wanted to bless me so bad, why doesn’t He just give it to me?” And lastly comes the discouragement, “Maybe it just isn’t my time, I’ll try again next service.” If you didn’t know, these are all Are we there yet? thoughts. Sounds harsh when you say it aloud, doesn’t it? However, allow me to give you this bit of encouragement: you are NOT alone, we have all been there.
God wants nothing more than to give us exactly what we need and grant us the desires of our heart as long as we delight ourselves in Him. Just as you wish the long road trip was over as much as your child does, you understand that there is a journey before you can reach your destination. Even though the GPS may give you an estimated time of arrival, you know stops along the way or detours may extend your trip. On the other hand, good weather and open road may speed that up. The main thing is you know you will eventually get there – so you may as well enjoy the ride!
The same thing is true when we seek for God: holding on to things that pull us away from God will extend the journey, but being obedient to God’s Word speeds us up. So stay focused on God – not the desire itself, definitely not on people, and not on your uncontrollable or uncomfortable surroundings. “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end!” (Jer. 29:11). Hold on to God and let go of the Are we there yet? mentality