Then after three years, I went up to Jerusalem to get acquainted with Peter and stayed with him fifteen days. Galatians 1:18

The apostle Paul experienced the most dramatic conversion in all of history. He was met and blinded by Jesus on the road to Damascus (Acts 9) For three days Paul sat in blindness and didn’t eat or drink. Then God sent Ananias to Him called Him as a chosen instrument. (Acts 9:15) Immediately following this Paul began to proclaim Jesus as the Son of God– then an odd thing happened. Paul fled to Arabia where He remained in the risen Saviors presence for three years. He was not yet ready for His personal calling through Christ.
 
God causes a lag between our calling and our sending or ministry. Only God knows what He needs to work into or out of us. Our job to stay close in His presence and let Him prepare us for the ministry opportunities He has designed for us. To get to know God is using the lag time to equip us– He will never give us a task without sufficiently equipping us. We must allow God to work on us in the time in between.
 
God may continue to do this at different times in our walk. He allows our vision to become unfocused and blurred or stagnant in our current state. It is a time of re-equipping for our new task or ministry opportunity on the horizon. This is an essential and special time of reflecting, rededicating and renewing. God will reveal your sending or ministry when the time is ready. (our verse above tells of Paul’s sending after His time of preparation)
 
Our job is to enjoy that wilderness time and really get close to God and let Him work out whatever is needed in us to prepare us for the work ahead. Maybe you are in that time, make the most of it, this time with Jesus it is highly important and needed. Relax and relish your relationship allow him to prepare you for work opportunities ahead.
 
In His Service,
Eric Barnes