In The Meantime | John Lucas

Embracing the Meantime: How God Uses the In-Between to Develop and Mature Us
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The Brooding Spirit of God
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In the opening of the book of Genesis, we read that "the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters." This word "hovering" or "moving" carries a deeper meaning - it signifies the act of brooding. Just as a bird tenderly broods over its eggs, the Spirit of God was brooding over creation, incubating and developing it before bringing forth order.
This principle of brooding and incubation is a crucial aspect of how God works in our lives. In the midst of the chaos, uncertainty, and obscurity of the "meantime" - the in-between seasons where it seems like nothing is happening - God is at work, brooding over us, developing and maturing us for the promises and breakthroughs to come.
Embracing Weakness and Resting in God's Strength
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The Psalmist instructs us to "be still and know that I am God." This call to stillness and weakness is not a passive resignation, but an active posture of trust and surrender. When we find ourselves in a place of weakness and inability to fix our own problems, it is there that we have the opportunity to truly know God and experience the perfection of His strength.
God's strength is not made perfect in our strength, but in our weakness. It's like a light switch - when we try to manage and control everything on our own, the "switch" is off, and God's power has nowhere to flow. But when we humble ourselves, admit our limitations, and allow ourselves to be weak, the switch is turned on, and God's strength is unleashed in our lives.
The Meantime as a Season of Preparation
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In the meantime, when it seems like God is doing nothing, He is actually hard at work, addressing the places in us that are unlike Him, maturing us for the promises and answered prayers to come. Jesus allows us to wait, to experience the tension of uncertainty and obscurity, because He is preparing us for the calm waters and dry land on the other side.
The meantime is not a time of abandonment, but a season of incubation. God is brooding over us, developing our character, strengthening our faith, and aligning our hearts with His. He is not put off by our weakness, but rather embraces it, so that we can fully embrace His strength.
Submitting to the Process
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It can be tempting to try to force the promise, to manage the prayer, to control the outcome. But in doing so, we risk elevating the prayer or the promise above the One who answers them. God desires our submission more than our strength, our trust more than our striving.
As we learn to surrender to the meantime, to allow God to address the areas of our hearts and minds that need transformation, we position ourselves to receive the fullness of His plan. The meantime is not a time to be endured, but a sacred space where God is at work, preparing us for the unique and special purposes He has for our lives.
Embracing the Meantime with Hope and Trust
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In the midst of the chaos and uncertainty, it can be easy to feel abandoned or forgotten by God. But the truth is, He has not forsaken us. He is simply brooding over us, preparing us for the best of His plans. His Spirit is moving within us, ordering and developing us, before He moves mightily in our circumstances.
As we learn to embrace the meantime with hope and trust, we can find peace in the knowledge that God is at work, even when it doesn't feel like it. He has not forgotten a single prayer or promise, and He is using this season to make us into the people we need to be in order to walk in the fullness of His plan.
Conclusion
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The meantime is not a time to be endured, but a sacred space where God is at work, incubating and developing us. As we learn to surrender our need for control and embrace our weakness, we open the door for God's strength to be made perfect in us. In the tension of the in-between, Jesus is with us, preparing us for the promises and breakthroughs to come.
So let us not grow weary or lose heart, but instead, let us trust in the brooding Spirit of God, knowing that He is using this time to mature us and align us with His perfect plan. For in the meantime, He is doing a deep and transformative work within us, shaping us into the people we need to be to walk in the fullness of all He has in store.