Pack Up, Pick Up, Move Forward

God is a God of order, and there is a definite reason and intent for the path He has us on. He knows what our next season contains, and everything we will encounter in it. He also knows what we need built into us now, in this season, to be prepared for the next. Sometimes I have caught myself so focused on believing for the “next thing”, that I ignore what is going on in the “right now”, and I neglect to do what God has spoken to me to do.

This happened recently. I was in my prayer time, speaking the Word, seeking the Lord’s direction over some things, and rehearsing the same thing I had been talking to the Lord about for quite some time. I heard the Lord say, “How long are you going to stay here? It’s time to pack up, pick up and move forward.” I knew exactly what the Lord meant. There were some things He had already spoken to me to do, and I had not done them yet. Not intentional disobedience to His direction, but definitely a delay. Now, I don't know about you, but growing up, I was taught that delayed obedience is disobedience. And it’s not that the Lord is wanting to punish us when we don’t do what He is asking. No. He knows what we need, and is doing everything He can to get it to us. So when He leads us to do something, go somewhere, say something, it is because there is a bigger purpose at work. Not only is He wanting to do something in that moment, but He is also wanting to work something in us and something out for us, for the next season we are making our way to.

So when the Lord spoke to me to “pack up, pick up and move forward”, I knew what He meant and I knew what I needed to do. We can sometimes fall into a spiritual rut and can get in such a routine that we are insensitive to the fact that we have not done everything the Lord has instructed us to, so we feel “stuck”, and continue to cry out to the Lord for direction, but all the while, He is waiting on us to complete the assignment at hand, so He can give us our next mission.

This day while I was praying, I was doing just that. Crying out for direction, for wisdom, asking for the “next step”. And God was like, “Stop dwelling here. Do what I have asked. Move forward with my direction.”

It reminded me of the story of the children of Israel circling the same mountain range for 40 years, when it should have only taken 11 days! I think about how much time we as Christians spend circling the same “mountain range” when our next season is right around the corner!

Sometimes for me, it’s almost as if His instructions are just way too simple. Like, doing this one little thing surely won’t bring any type of breakthrough, or make a difference. Lord, just get me to the big stuff! The mountain-moving stuff where I can really activate my faith and trust in You! Ah, but see this is the part of our human-ness the Lord already knows. He knows our weak points and where we struggle. So when he asks us to do the “little things” that we think are unimportant have nothing to do with our journey, He is intentionally trying to get us to build our faith muscle so that in the next season we will have the strength we need to keep pressing further. He is so gracious to prepare us, but so many times we want to ignore the “repetitions” of preparation and so we sit in a holding pattern waiting for Him to guide us, when He is gently nudging us to pick up the “weights” and obey what He has already instructed us to do. Our Father knows what we need and knows how to get it to us, we just have to cooperate with Him.

Do you have areas that you need to pack up, pick up and move forward in? I’m pretty sure if we’re honest, we all have those things that we’ve neglected to do, because we felt they were trivial. Yet I’m reminded of the scripture in Matthew 25:21 that says, “You have been faithful in handling this small amount..so now I will give you many more responsibilities. Begin the joyous tasks I have assigned to you.”

Wow. Think about that for a minute. The Lord has assigned us all with tasks, specific tasks to complete. We have to complete them so He can give us more responsibilities. The Body of Christ has a major job to do on this earth, and He needs us to take our assignments seriously so He can give us more assignments, for there is much work to be done.

Let this year be the year that we begin the tasks he has assigned to us. Let us not be content to dwell in the same place, overlooking what He has already asked us to do. Let’s joyfully pack up, pick up and move forward with our assignments. I can hear the Father saying, “Well done my good and faithful servant!”