“For the vision is yet for the appointed time; It hastens toward the goal, and it will not fail.
Though it tarries, wait for it; For it will certainly come, it will not delay. Hab 2:3 NASB
This passage from Habakkuk talks about something we are really bad at doing, waiting! We are an impatient bunch, especially when it comes to waiting on God for something. Unfortunately sometimes in the waiting we lose heart and lose faith and stop believing. We really want God to move as if time could rush forward and the vision would be fulfilled without any personal struggle or sacrifice. And for those who get the vision it is often harder. Those who see the vision have a sense of its reality. It exists in the world of the imagination and with imagination comes a great deal of expectation. But God tells us that though the vision tarries we should wait for it.
But waiting also carries a promise. God is telling us that the vision (when it is truly from God) has an appointed time. Not only that but the vision hastens toward the goal and will not fail. It is comforting to know that God is more committed to the vision that we are. Though there seems to be delays we know that it will come and will not delay from it’s appointed time. It’s not about our time and expectations, it’s about God’s timing and purpose. This is where we are with Pascha House. We may be waiting for the vision to be fulfilled but we know that it will come at the appointed time. So what are we doing with our waiting?
“He is a good soldier, who always waits for things to be enjoyed. Be unwilling to flatter thyself; absolutely put away sloth, that thou mayest daily be ready for what is set before thee, Be careful beforehand; in the morning revisit the standards, When thou seest the war, take the nearest contest.”
This passage from one of the early church fathers Minicuius Felix around 250ad tells us what to do when we have to wait. A good soldier waits, puts away sloth and is ready daily. He revisits the standards every day and when he sees a battle takes the contest nearest to him. For me this translates into being faithful in my daily duties of prayer and ministry. But there is a contest before me and it is one way to advance the battle. I am still pastoring our mission church. This church has always been envisioned as one part of the entire vision. Since the vision of establishing Pascha House tarries I am taking the contest nearest me. And God has been in it and blessing it.
As Church of the Holy Martyrs we had been temporarily sharing quarters with a sister parish near by. It became increasingly clear as the summer ended that we needed to move. I began to ask God where the Macedonian call was. God led us into the Connecticut Valley area of Shelton and graciously opened wide the doors. So we moved the parish and changed our name to Church of the Archangels. We are now renting Trinity Lutheran Church and have been generously permitted to use the entire facility as long as it does not conflict with their schedule. They even gave me an office to do pastoral counseling and spiritual direction from. I then began to ask God about His strategy. The Valley is suffering badly from addiction. God told me to present our church as a Church for those in recovery. So we did an interview with a local paper focusing on our history in dealing with “Recovery” issues and told them some of our stories and our plans to start Pascha House and run Overcomers 12-step programs. No sooner did the article go to print than we began to get phone calls from people interested in attending Overcomers meetings. Our small mission church is growing, and God is doing incredible things.
What I see in these events is the vision hastening towards its goal. It may not be taking the course I imagined, but God is the wind behind it and He is carrying it along. So don’t lose heart, either on our behalf or for whatever vision God has placed in your heart. Just be a good soldier, revisit the standards daily, and take the nearest contest. You may find that in so doing the vision is hastening towards its fulfillment in ways you never imagined.
Keep praying,
Fr. Matt
