Jesus said, “If you have faith the size of a mustard seed you can say to this mountain “move from here to there” and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.” It is interesting that He choose to use the “seed” as a faith analogy.
When you think about it, a seed can give birth to an entire forest.
A seed can give birth to an entire orchard that feeds a large community.
A seed by itself is nothing, but given the right conditions and care it will become something- that is, whatever it is designed to be. But the thing about seeds that makes it an interesting analogy is that a seed never becomes a tree overnight. There is this issue of “time” – the waiting.
WHAT TO DO IN THE WAITING
As I often find myself praying for the visions and dreams God has put in my heart I sometimes get discouraged. When you have been praying into something and believing for it for many years you can become discouraged over time waiting for it to be manifested. You can begin questioning, “Did God really speak this? Did I just make it up?”
While I was considering this issue of “faith” and “time”, I felt a nudge from the Lord. And then it came to me… I’m not the only one waiting.
“But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. ”
Jesus Himself does not know the day or the hour the Father will send Him back for the second coming. Did you realize that? Even the Son, the Bridegroom Himself, lays in wait.
Not only does Jesus fellowship in our suffering and understand all the human struggles (Hebrews 2:18, 4:15) but He has been lying in wait for 2000 years. He actually has a deeper longing in His heart for us than we have for Him.
As I began to meditate on Jesus’ longing and desire to return for His bride, I began to ache in my heart, I began to feel the comfort of the shared longing for promises to be fulfilled- a new level of fellowshipping in Jesus suffering.
This is another facet of fellowshipping in the Lord’s suffering- waiting.
“At that time Jesus went with His disciples to a place called Gethsemane, and He told them, “Sit here while I go over there and pray.”
He took with Him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee and began to be sorrowful and deeply distressed. 38Then He said to them, “My soul is consumed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with Me.”
Going a little farther, He fell facedown and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me. Yet not as I will, but as You will.”
Then Jesus returned to the disciples and found them sleeping. “Were you not able to keep watch with Me for one hour?” He asked Peter. “Watch and pray so that you will not enter into temptation. For the spirit is willing, but the body is weak.”
A second time He went away and prayed, “My Father, if this cup cannot pass unless I drink it, may Your will be done.”
And again Jesus returned and found them sleeping—for their eyes were heavy.
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Think about that Jesus, God in flesh, wise and mature beyond this degenerate men- invites them to suffer with Him knowing they will never understand the griefs he bears. This is such a tender intimate moment. A moment you would cherish and not want to share with anyone at all (I would think) yet He invites them to come into His darkest moment with Him. He invites them to see His vulnerability, His weakness, His ugliness… these men had no idea what was being extended to them this night.
He was not being cryptic or mystical, He spoke plainly of His sorrows and asked that they would be with Him through it. I believe in this moment of crying out to the Father Jesus was counting the cost. As I was praying and meditating on these verses, I imagined scales weighing precious metals and minerals… gold and diamonds. I imagines the “counting of the cost” and seeing from far above the surface of the earth all of humanity from the beginning of time and all that would come in the future. I imagined Jesus was allowed to see a vast expanse of millions of people that would come to the saving knowledge of God and although He didn’t know how many years it would be until He would return for His bride, He saw that His death was for millions upon millions, if not billions throughout history.
HASTENING HIS RETURN
Setting our eyes on Christ, on His return, on His waiting and desire for us- I am now convinced there is not greater sustainer and fuel for our faith than this.
As you consider these verses, allow your heart to find comfort in that Jesus identifies with your suffering more than you know. That He too know what it means to wait on promises not yet fulfilled, and in that place of longing, ask for the gift of greater hunger and passion for His return to be hastened.