Our family looks forward to the arrival of sweet, juicy watermelon each spring. In our neck of the woods watermelon is difficult to find throughout the fall and winter months. If you do happen to find one, it is likely going to be pale and bitter. Watermelon needs the warm rays of the sun and time in order to reach their peak quality.
We also need the warm rays of the Son and time with God in order to function at our peak as followers of Jesus! We are called to daily live in a way that will prepare us for the unexpected.
I solemnly urge you in the presence of God and Christ Jesus, who will someday judge the living and the dead when he appears to set up his Kingdom. Preach the word; be ready in season and out of season. 2 Timothy 4:1-2
Before you excuse yourself from this one, this is not directed solely at vocational ministers. We are all called to share the word with those around us. The way we live as well as the words we speak are preaching the word on a constant basis. Readiness is the state we strive to live in regardless of how convenient it is.
An out of season watermelon is anything but ready. Several have found their way to our trash receptacle after one unsavory taste! Some translations challenge us to be instant in season. There is a process that is required to be prepared for an immediate response. Even instant oatmeal takes some preparation and we are no different. The call to consistent spiritual and even physical discipline must be heeded if we have any hope of being instantly ready when the unexpected happens. Preparing for something you don’t know is coming is kind of tricky.
I love preaching the word of God. Whether I am sharing on a Sunday morning, speaking to a group of ladies, sharing at a retreat, or a one on one interaction, it is life giving for me. I also prefer to be prepared. I like to have my notes together and time to pray over and pour over them before I speak. The in season times are much more comfortable. I have learned, however, that the out of season times can often actually be more effective. The last minute, completely unexpected times when thorough preparation is not possible, require a whole new level of interaction with the Holy Spirit.
I have learned to smile rather than panic when I find myself facing an out of season opportunity. God was not surprised and he always has a plan, and his plan is far superior to mine.
My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts, says the LORD. And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine. For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so my ways are higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts. Isaiah 55:8-9
Instant readiness can only exist when a solid, consistent relationship with God is in play. We are often preparing for undisclosed usage. We can’t see what’s around the corner but we can unwaveringly trust that God will be with us. The unexpected visitor, the broken person sitting next to us in the waiting room, the opportunities that come out of nowhere demand out of season preparation.
Sometimes glorifying God is inconvenient, uncomfortable and downright terrifying!
A mob quickly formed against Paul and Silas, and the city officials ordered them stripped and beaten with wooden rods. They were severely beaten, and then they were thrown into prison. The jailer was ordered to make sure they didn’t escape. So the jailer put them into the inner dungeon and clamped their feet in the stocks. Around midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening, Suddenly, there was a massive earthquake, and the prison was shaken to its foundations. All the doors immediately flew open, and the chains of every prisoner fell off! Acts 16:22-26
Talk about being instant in an inconvenient situation! Likely bleeding and hurting from their earlier beating, locked in shackles in a less than comfortable prison Paul and Silas had the depth of relationship to sing rather than sulk.
The end result was the salvation of the jailer and his entire household. God had their release in the works. It wasn’t far away but he had work for them to do before they left the dungeon.
If you find yourself feeling like you are stuck in the dungeon, God might have a bigger purpose for your pain. Can we honestly embrace the out of season, inconvenient times, when we feel overlooked, under appreciated and confined to the dungeon?
We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love. Romans 5:3-5
May God give us the wisdom to embrace the inconvenient seasons, allowing him to work deeply within us and to bring hope to others.
Friend, he’s got you. It might look dark, but it is often in the deepest darkness that God’s light in you shines brightest!
Apples of Gold 
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