System Update

“Even though you're up-to-date on all this truth and practice it inside and out, I'm not going to let up for a minute in calling you to attention before it. This is the post to which I've been assigned - keeping you alert with frequent reminders - and I'm sticking to it as long as I live.” (2 Peter 1:12-13 MSG)

My computer was stuck on the same screen for hours. It displayed the following message: “Please wait while we install a system update.” There was no progress bar showing what percentage of the update had happened or how much longer it would take. I felt impatient just sitting there watching the continuously spinning wheel. Eventually, the computer finished updating. Unseen things were happening behind the screen while I was waiting. I didn’t notice the changes until after I rebooted the computer. Even though it took much longer than expected, the laptop ran more efficiently after the updates.

Have you ever felt like you were stuck in a rut, spinning your wheels with no progress in sight? Waiting can feel tiresome, especially when we don’t know how long or why we are in a holding pattern. Yet, like scheduled system updates on a computer, God-ordained phases of dormancy can be transformative. Unseen things happen behind the scenes. We are enlarged in the waiting--infused with renewed perspective, increased patience, restored trust, and expanded faith. When we are updated in truth, we are better able to practice it inside and out. Frequent reminders keep us alert to our need for continual communion and restoration. God works in us and through us making us ready for what we are assigned to do.