Navigating In Between Seasons (Part I)

By: Dr. Christy Bee

Photocred: francescoch via iStock Photo.

I've found that one of the hardest parts of the Christian faith walk is navigating the in between. The in between is the space that lies between what is and what is yet to come. It is a season or a group of seasons that follow the announcement of a prophecy before it is fulfilled. It is a place where great tension lies between what is today and what shall be tomorrow--the in between is where we as believers have been called to wrestle, believe and become, by God.

Many of the patriarchs and matriarchs of the faith have lived through in between seasons themselves. Consider the story of Abram and Sarai. God first promised Abram a biological heir and many descendents in Genesis 15, yet the fulfillment of this promise didn't come until about 15 years later. This time between God's first announcement of this promise and its fulfillment was Abram and Sarai's in between season which they had to navigate through, in order to behold the fulfillment of God's promise to them.

Maybe you who are reading this blog, just like I am, are in a similar position to Abram and Sarai. God has made a promise to you, and you are waiting in the in between for it to be fulfilled. And just like Abram and Sarai had to navigate through their in between season, we as believers are called by God to do the same. However, we must be honest that this navigation through the in between is not easy.

What Makes In Between Seasons Difficult

Some of what makes an in between season difficult to navigate through, is all that it requires of us. While in an in between season, believers have to not only trust in the God they cannot see, but also in His promises that have yet to be fulfilled. As a result, these seasons require believers to exercise deeper levels of faith, patience, trust in God and endurance.

1. Deeper levels of faith

Consider how much faith it takes to believe God for a promise that He fulfills instantaneously versus how much faith it takes to believe Him for a promise that He doesn't fulfill until years later. It doesn't take as much faith to believe God for a promise that He fulfills instantaneously, or in a shorter amount of time, than it does to believe Him for a promise that takes years, or a longer amount of time, to come to pass. Promises where God takes a longer amount of time to fulfill them, require deeper levels of faith than promises that don't because the longer I have to wait, the easier it is for me to lose trust in the promise and the promise-maker.

The longer I have to wait, the easier it is for me to feel like God isn't going to come through on what He has said.

The longer I have to wait, the easier it is to let go of the promises God has made instead of hanging onto them.

I believe that the in between seasons of life confront the parts of us that don't believe God or easily give up on His Word, more than any other season of life. Because when all I have is a promise from God and time that continues to pass by, I am left to wrestle with the question "do I truly believe in God as much as I say I do?" In between seasons are difficult because in order to navigate them well, we must develop deeper levels of faith that choose to hold onto God and His promises no matter how long He takes to fulfill them.

2. Waiting

Another part of what makes navigating in between seasons difficult is having to wait for them to pass. Personally, waiting becomes difficult for me when it is unexpected, an inconvenience to my plans and when I am not aware of how long I will have to wait for. The same is true with in between seasons; because we don't expect to have to wait long for the fulfillment of a promise from God, are inconvenienced by them and not aware of how long these seasons will last, it is easy to become impatient and more susceptible to the temptations that come to take matters into our own hands.

Consider Abram and Sarai. God promised the childless Abram in Genesis 15:4 that He would become the father of many. Yet although Abram believed God, as we are told in vv. 6 of the same chapter, in Genesis 16:2 he listens to his wife Sarai who convinces him to have a child with her maid Hagar. Abram believed that God would provide him with an heir, yet decides to takes matters into his own hands and make an heir for himself with his wife's maid. Abram's actions led to the birth of Ishmael but God still intended for His promise of Isaac, the heir through which Abram's many descendents would come, to come to pass.

How many times have you taken matters into your own hands and tried to help God in fulfilling a promise He has made to you? I can count too many times when in my youth, I've done this and it has only led to heartbreak and unnecessary pain. What also makes in between seasons difficult is that in order to navigate them well, we must deny ourselves the right to run ahead of God and make things happen for ourselves.

3. Endurance

In between seasons are also difficult to navigate because they call for endurance. Endurance is defined as the power to endure an unpleasant or difficult process or situation without giving way. And how do we build this endurance that we need to navigate the in between?

By navigating through the very unpleasant and difficult processes that in between seasons bring.

In Romans 5:3-4 Paul states: "Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope" (ESV).

This tells us that enduring hardships, sufferings or in between seasons is exactly what produces in us the endurance we need. So because in between seasons require of us, what it is purposed to produce in us, it can feel impossible to navigate through them--How can one successfully navigate a season that requires something of them that they have yet to build and master?

The answer? By relying on God's grace!

In 2 Corinthians 12:9-10, Paul gives an account of his own run in with a weakness of his and how he faced that hardship: "But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong"(ESV).

Just like in Paul's experience, in ours, God's grace and strength to endure is perfected when we are weak. So although it may feel like we do not have what we need to navigate the in between seasons well, relying on God's grace and His strength that He freely gives to us is exactly what we need to prevail and navigate the in between well.

Closing Remarks & Encouragement

Before I sign off, I want to leave you with this promise from Genesis 18:14 which has blessed me deeply:

"Is anything too hard for the Lord? At the appointed time I will return to you, about this time next year, and Sarah shall have a son.”

Often when teaching this text, preachers focus on the first clause of this verse "is there anything too hard for the Lord?" But today, I sense the Lord wants our hope to be renewed by what He has spoken in the second clause "...at the appointed time, I will return to you..."

This promise of God in vv. 14 provided Abraham with certainty that not only was God was going to fulfill what He promised, but that when it came to pass, He was going to return to him when it was fulfilled. And as you are reading these words, God wants you to have the same gift that He gave Abram--the certainty of His Word and presence.

Not only will God fulfill the promise that He has given you, but He will also return to you Himself when the fulfillment of His promise comes, at the time that He has set for it to come to pass. God knows exactly when He has ordained for His promise for you to come to pass, and it will not be a second later than that moment. And while I cannot tell you when this appointed time for the fulfillment of God's promise is, I can tell you that as you wait and navigate the in between seasons of life, the God of all grace, love and strength is faithful to keep and strengthen you until that time comes.

So as you wait, as you wrestle and as you toil with the in between, I encourage you to choose to trust in the God who promises to not only fulfill, but also to come back to you at the appointed time He has for His promise to be fulfilled. And may He find you, rejoicing because of His faithfulness to His Word and promises to you.