Boy, pregnancy really has a way of working muscles you don’t love working. I mean that in every way… physically AND spiritually. Don’t get me wrong, everything about pregnancy is miraculous…it is a gift and a privilege. BUT, it is also a lot of work. The thing about that work is most of it is unseen or unnoticed.
The first trimester is just waiting… feeling horribly sick and more tired than words can describe. Honestly, it can be a frustrating time! Nobody knows you’re expecting yet. Even if they do know, it doesn’t appear evident. But day in and day out, you’re reminded. Your body is changing and preparing and the ONLY ONE who feels it is YOU.
Isn’t that the way it is, though? Before we birth something new? There is always a process God takes us through. You’ll never meet a speaker who just walked onto stage one day in front of an audience of thousands. Not without years in the trenches of preparation. You’ll never meet a singer who wakes up to fame one day without putting in the years of behind the scenes work, songwriting and performing. You’ll never meet a famous athlete, an incredible author, a gifted chef, an acclaimed artist, an incredible parent, or a successful business owner who just made it without going through the preparation. And the thing about all of it is, once again, the world doesn’t see that part. Rather, the person living it is the one. They feel every failure, endure every “no”, defeat, or setback… and they are the ones with the choice to keep going or give up.
Anyway, the real kicker, and the original connection I had never made (until our pastor pointed it out), was the REASON. The reason behind the wait. He went on to explain that during that time, culturally, Rome began conquering all. With this came the expansion of the roman kingdom and roman roads. Really, these roads were the catalyst for world-change: in communication, in transportation, in economy and culture and kingdom growth! These roads are still in existence. They were so well-constructed… and that work was done by nameless and countless people over the course of hundreds of years. No, we don’t know their names. No, we don’t know the amount of hours and sweat and backbreaking work that went into this preparation… but because of the efforts..because of this time of laborous preparation the whole world would be affected. Including, the new Testament church and the spread of the Gospel all over the world. The great commissioning.
When you put it in these terms, its kind of mind blowing. God orchestrated it in such a way that one man would conquer a vast portion of the known world, and that man would construct and orchestrate one of the most world-changing infrastructures ever known. Now, I’m certain Alexander the Great wasn’t doing this to spread the gospel. BUT, God did know. Just as He knew he could use man to bring out His divine plan: part of which was to prepare the way for the coming One. The Messiah. The man who changed the history of the world beyond it… And THAT is where the new testament begins. 400 years later.
Yes, its easy for me to say as a heavily pregnant woman. The womb is the sacred space for waiting. In darkness. Protected. Alive and growing. And trust me when I say, its hard, too. Hard not to know what the future will hold. The details feel blurred. How will delivery go? Who will this child be and what, even, will they look like. There is expectation but also the unknown. But can I tell you this? Nothing is unknown to God. He knows the promise at the other end. He knows the purpose in the wait, even if we cant see it yet. This instant gratification world we live in makes it even harder, I suspect, to wait with patience.
