Over-fermentation

As Christians we have to learn to wait. It is in the waiting process that God works deeply to shape us and teach us. Without waiting, there would never be any real spiritual transformation. So, we encourage people to learn how to wait well, how to wait in faith, in expectation, and to trust in the Lord’s timing. So, waiting is good, but is it possible that at times we might be waiting too long, and we might miss the boat when God shifts gears and calls us into action, after the waiting period is done?

After a hiatus, I have started baking sourdough bread again. It’s certainly been a learning curve, filled with triumphs as well as disasters. I recently discovered I had been making a crucial mistake in preparing the dough. I had been waiting too long. As the bread needs to ferment, I had figured that the longer I wait, the better the bread would be. I was wrong. It turns out there is a sweet spot, and once the dough becomes over-fermented, the chances of success in baking it are completely gone. Waiting long enough is crucial for the dough’s development, but waiting too long causes disaster.

At the age of forty, Moses felt ready to take action to deliver Israel from its cruel oppressors and he killed an Egyptian. But God knew Moses wasn’t ready yet, and put him in the desert, herding sheep for forty years. That’s a long time to wait! When God finally called Moses to enter into His calling (the burning bush incident), Moses argued that he wasn’t up for it. But God said, “Go”! It reminds me of something I heard a few years ago. It’s the idea that God moves in our lives at two possible speeds: slowly and suddenly. This may not be an absolute truth, but I do think there’s something in it. Sometimes God has us wait for long periods and His promises seem to be slow in coming. And then, all of a sudden, it’s go-time and God can be doing things very, very quickly.

It is easy to grow complacent in the waiting, to lose hope, or to let the fire go out. Jesus warned that we would have to wait with endurance for His return. He said it would feel to us as if He was delaying, but He told us to stay alert, and to be watchful. He said we should be like those wise virgins who anticipated the Bridegroom’s arrival, and had oil for their lamps (Matthew 25). They were ready for when the Lord moved, in His perfect timing.

This is the big picture - waiting in alertness for His return. But on a smaller scale, on a personal level, we may have been waiting a long time for God’s promises to come about. Perhaps we have grown weary in the waiting. But when the Lord starts moving, will we be ready to move with Him? When God says to wait, all we can do is wait. But when God says “Go”, we must make sure we don’t lag behind.