Matthew Chapter 13: verses 24-30 (NLT)
Here is another story Jesus told: “The Kingdom of Heaven is like a farmer who planted good seed in his field. But that night as the workers slept, his enemy came and planted weeds among the wheat, then slipped away. When the crop began to grow and produce grain, the weeds also grew
“The farmer’s workers went to him and said, ‘Sir, the field where you planted that good seed is full of weeds! Where did they come from?’
“‘An enemy has done this!’ the farmer exclaimed.
“‘Should we pull out the weeds?’ they asked.
“‘No,’ he replied, ‘you’ll uproot the wheat if you do. Let both grow together until the harvest. Then I will tell the harvesters to sort out the weeds, tie them into bundles, and burn them, and to put the wheat in the barn.’”
The farm workers knew things weren’t right as soon as they saw the weeds sprouting in the fields. They wanted to put things right as soon as they could, but the farmer told them to wait. He knew that the long-term damage would have been greater. So, he told them that it was not the right time, and he told them why.
When we see something that isn’t right or seems unfair, it can be tempting to jump in and, try, with the best of intentions to put things right. But we don’t always see the full picture, though God does. We need to be sensitive as to whether God wants us to step in, or whether He wants us to wait, and leave that to Him.
I once read a well-known preacher tell of something in his church that was not right. It involved two elders in his congregation. He wanted to speak to them both about the matter, but he felt God, through the nudging of the Holy Spirit, telling him to wait, so he did. Several months later, a visiting speaker came to his church. At the end of the service, whilst people had their eyes closed in prayer, the speaker asked for those who needed to put things right in their Christian walk to come to the front for prayer. When the preacher opened his eyes, he saw that the two elders had gone to the front and were kneeling before God in prayer. The matter was resolved by God in His own time, and in the right way, without any need for the preacher himself to intervene.
Its hard for us not to jump in where we feel we need to, but we need to remember that God knows better than we do, and sometimes we just need to be patient, however difficult that is!
Dear Lord,
I’m grateful that You always see the complete picture even when I can’t. Help me to be sensitive and to seek Your will when I am tempted to intervene in any situation that I don’t think is right, and to trust You when You tell me to wait, or to leave things alone. I ask in Jesus’ Name. Amen.