I love to see God do great things. I get excited when I see him touch lives and drastic transformation takes place. Unfortunately, the work of God is not always apparent. The work of God in some people's lives is quiet and unobservable. Often, people are slowly and silently affected by God through his Word and His Spirit. The change is not seen by others until some challenge is faced or a crisis comes. Often, during these times, one who is seen as stagnant and unchanged suddenly display the grace of God in their lives. Where there was little evidence of outward spiritual energy, God shows that He was working inwardly all along. Sometimes God's work is not outwardly manifest until a person is tested.
It energizes us to see the hand of God at work. It takes patience and perseverance when God works invisibly. For those in ministry, the times of quiet invisibility are hard to take. James 5:7 lifts up the farmer as an example to us. We are to be patient like the farmer who waits for the land to yield its valuable crop.
The time of waiting is not easy. It can be discouraging. The difficulty comes in trying to balance hopeful expectation with patient endurance. Perhaps that is why Psalm 27:14 tells us to take heart as we wait for the Lord. I love to see God at work. I thank him for the times I see His hand at work in the lives of His people. I hear His encouraging call to be faithful during the days and months between obvious manifestations of His grace. It is my prayer that as He works in me in invisible ways, encouraging me and calling me to be faithful and trust Him, that His work in me will become evident to others, that they would be encouraged. I trust His Invisible hand to be at work in the lives of others, partly because I know that same hand is at work in my life, though not always evident to others. We must all be faithful and submit to God as He works in our lives. We must be patient with one another as God works in unseen ways.
