God is not a magician

 
Imagine that you are a business owner driving in your car while listening to a sermon. You are feeling discouraged because your online clothing boutique has hit a dry spell. It has been weeks since you received a
n order, and you keep wondering what you are doing wrong. You have bills to pay, a roof to keep over your head, and the cares of running your business are weighing heavily on you.

As you listen to the sermon, the preacher begins to prophesy:

“There is someone driving in their car and listening to this message right now. You are experiencing a dry spell in your business, and you are feeling discouraged. But the Lord says, ‘Do not be discouraged any longer. I am turning it around. I decree that this is a new day. Within 30 days, you will have customers from all over the world ordering your products. What took you five years to accomplish in business, you will accomplish within 30 days.’”

As you hear this word, something leaps within your spirit. You feel certain that God is speaking directly to you through the preacher.

You arrive home feeling as though you are walking on air. Later, you turn on the television and begin flipping through the channels. You come across a woman promoting a book about how she became successful in business through social media marketing.

You think to yourself, “That is nice, but I am waiting on the Lord to move.”

Week after week, you continue waiting for the Lord to move. You wait and wait, but nothing happens within the promised 30 days. Now you are sitting there discouraged, disappointed, and frustrated.

What happened? Why did God not move?

As you reflect on the past month, you suddenly remember the television program and the woman promoting her business book. Could that have been God directing you toward the practical wisdom you needed? Could part of your breakthrough have been found within the principles she was teaching?

Suddenly, a light bulb comes on. You rush to the bookstore, purchase the book, and begin applying the marketing strategies it teaches. Within a month, you start seeing positive changes in your business. As you continue applying those principles, your business grows month after month.

The moral of this story is that God’s Word is true, but sometimes we expect Him to operate like a magician in Heaven, granting our desires without requiring us to make any effort or change. We hear a prophetic word and simply sit back and wait. Then, when we do not see its manifestation, we become discouraged and confused.

However, when we receive a prophecy, we must first test it according to Scripture. Once we believe it is truly from God, we should ask Him for wisdom concerning how to move forward.

Are there instructions connected to the prophecy?

Are there practical steps we need to take?

Is there something we need to learn, develop, change, or pursue in preparation for its fulfillment?

Sometimes the answer to our prayers comes through practical wisdom and opportunities that God places directly in front of us. The prophecy may reveal what is possible, but wisdom teaches us how to participate in bringing it to pass.