The God of Process

Have you ever wanted God to do something for you instantly, but yet find out that it’s taking longer than you expected? Do you wonder why some issues in your life are not solved faster despite the fact that you have prayed and prayed and done as much as you know you should do? Have you ever asked why God created the earth in six days? Certainly He is God so He could have created it in a day, an hour of perhaps a second. You may be upset about your current situation and indeed it may be quite challenging and even frustrating. However if you understand the nature of God better you may appreciate why He hasn’t intervened as quickly as you might have wanted Him to which will ultimately lead to peace in your heart and strength to get through the situation. To get a better grasp of why God does things procedurally it’s important to learn about Him as The God of Process.    

We start by taking a look at the definition of Process in relation to production by the Cambridge dictionary. Process can be defined as “the series of actions that are taken to change raw materials during the production of goods”. 

 

If you take a look at this definition closely you can draw some analogies with human beings. It would not be wrong to rewrite this definition as “the series of actions that are taken to change/develop a child into an adult/maturity”. The meaning of this is that development is in stages and to move into maturity takes several steps which are actually sequential in nature. The question which may arise now is, why can’t we just have the finished goods? In physical production no one would actually ask this question because it is clear that if you want corn powder there must be a way to process the corn to get to the powder state. Part of the challenge most people have relates to an inadequate understanding of how the spiritual relam works. Movies and television folklore have depicted the spiritual realm as some sort of ‘magical’ realm where things just happen at the wave of a wand or click of fingers. Because these thoughts are infused into people’s minds very early on (through cartoons, home movies, story tales etc) many people grow up thinking that the supernatural world does not have process but that things happen there just like that. It becomes difficult for many people to now understand why God, the Almighty and Creator of the Universe cannot just say a Word and it be done instantly in the life of the believer. The truth is that God can say ‘be healed’ of your infirmity and that sickness will be gone forever instantly. However this cannot be for all situations. For example God showed Joseph that his family would bow down to him but it took almost two decades to be fulfilled. The same God who heals the sick instantly took thirteen years to fulfill his promise in the life of Joseph.

Genesis 37: 2-5 says that:

² This is the account of Jacob’s family line.

Joseph, a young man of seventeen, was tending the flocks with his brothers, the sons of Bilhah and the sons of Zilpah, his father’s wives, and he brought their father a bad report about them.

³ Now Israel loved Joseph more than any of his other sons, because he had been born to him in his old age; and he made an ornate[a] robe for him. ⁴ When his brothers saw that their father loved him more than any of them, they hated him and could not speak a kind word to him.

⁵ Joseph had a dream, and when he told it to his brothers, they hated him all the more. ⁶ He said to them, “Listen to this dream I had: ⁷ We were binding sheaves of grain out in the field when suddenly my sheaf rose and stood upright, while your sheaves gathered around mine and bowed down to it.”

Look at Genesis 41:46, it says that,

Joseph was thirty years old when he entered the service of Pharaoh King of Egypt. And Joseph went out from Pharaoh’s presence and traveled throughout Egypt.

Firstly let’s take a look at why God may do this sort of thing. It is clear that at age seventeen, Joseph could not have possibly acquired the skills to run a whole country effectively. As a result there was the need to prepare him for the throne so that he could rule without blemish and fulfill his God given destiny as God had designed it. So it is important to take away the fact that one of the greatest reasons why some prayers are not answered immediately are because we are not yet ready for the answers and God does not want us to make a mess of the assignment so He ensures that we develop effectively and adequately to the point where we will be able to succeed seamlessly. So if you are wondering why hasn’t God answered your prayers to get married or allowed you to be promoted to that big position in your office or even allowed you to start your ministry, it may just be because you are not mature enough for it. If He were to allow you, you might just crash and fail completely. At a point it looked like Joseph was ready for the palace when he met with Pharoah’s chief cupbearer and asked him not to forget him. However, it took two years more before Joseph was finally set free and God’s promise for his life was fulfilled.  This can be delineated from the following scriptures:

Genesis 41:1

When two full years had passed, Pharaoh had a dream: He was standing by the Nile.

Genesis 41:9

Then the chief cupbearer said to Pharaoh, “Today I am reminded of my shortcomings”.

It is clear that even at the time at which Joseph interpreted the dreams for the cupbearer and baker he was not yet ready for the throne. He still needed more preparation. If you feel anxious and some level of stagnation because it seems like nothing is really happening or things are not moving as fast as you would like them to, it is only normal. What is needed is to ask God for grace to see the preparation phase through successfully. It is also important not to try to manipulate the situation and create a shortcut. This will always land you in a wrong destination. If you are able to wriggle your way to the right destination you will find it difficult if not impossible to succeed as God had originally designed it. Genesis 41:14 shows that even Joseph was eager to leave the prison, but he however decided to wait for God’s timing and not manipulate his way out.

Genesis 40:14 says that,

But when all goes well with you, remember me and show me kindness; mention me to Pharaoh and get me out of this prison.

To understand The God of Process it is also important to look at how He created the earth. Genesis 1:31 to 2:2 records that,

³¹And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.

¹Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. ²And on the seventh day God finished his work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work that he had done.

It took God six days for God to create the earth. There is no reason to believe that God could not have created the earth faster than this. However the mere fact that God did not just create the earth in a single moment or second clearly shows His predilection for process even for what He is solely involved in. It can be further understood when we take a look at Genesis 1:28:

28 And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.

God created a system whereby man himself would keep the earth ‘running’ by being fruitful, multiplying and replenishing the earth. Would it not be possible for man to call on God for more trees, more animals, more food etc. each time he was in need of it? That would mean that God would have to keep creating and creating the earth. However actions of God recorded in many parts of the Bible do not favour this disposition. Clearly God wants to create once and then build a process and system that supports procreation. It’s the same with human beings. God could have created 1 billion people at once but he chose to start with Adam and Eve and today we have over seven billion people in the world. That is because God is not a waster of resources. Why should He keep creating humans when he can put the seed in man and man can keep procreating freeing up God’s time for other critical activities of universal importance? Even though God is not bound by time, He clearly does not believe in wasting time or energy (even though He has limitless energy). Since it is God’s grand design for man to be fruitful and multiply, it follows that man who is created in the image of God must learn to build processes and systems which enable successful living and domination of the earth. So it can be deduced that if God organises processes to enable sustainability, then even human beings will have to go through processes to get to the point where they are strong enough to manage their assignments.

God also takes us through processes because He wants us to be able to defeat future enemies. 1 Corinthians 16:9 says that,

For a great door and effectual is opened unto me, and there are many adversaries.

Every Christian has an adversary called the Devil who is working round the clock to implement his satanic agenda on the earth. The higher you go the greater the enemies. As a result God would not want to expose His children to enemies they are not prepared to defeat. If one takes a look at King David’s testimony, it is clear that his victory as a shepherd boy gave him great confidence over Goliath. This is actually the essence of going through different stages in life. God not only wants us to defeat all enemies on our path but He wants us to have confidence that we can make it when we look and see the victories He has granted us in the past. The Bible records in 1 Samuel 17:34-36 that:

³⁴ But David said to Saul, “Your servant has been keeping his father’s sheep. When a lion or a bear came and carried off a sheep from the flock, ³⁵ I went after it, struck it and rescued the sheep from its mouth. When it turned on me, I seized it by its hair, struck it and killed it. ³⁶ Your servant has killed both the lion and the bear; this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, because he has defied the armies of the living God.

Another reason why God operates in processes is to make man dependent on Him. If God were to just promote you without any process, you would probably think that you were the one responsible for your success. This is important because God requires that each of His children develop a strong relationship with Him. The major reason for this is not for God’s benefit but for the believer. Because life has many hurdles and challenges that have to be overcome especially if you desire to be successful, it would be impossible to make it as a child of God without direction, wisdom, protection, strength, favour and all the blessings that come from God. It is during the journey that children of God actually get to know God better and appreciate His love for them. For example King David was delivered so many times from defeat that each victory he had made him appreciate God’s presence in his life much more. The process makes us to see God’s faithfulness, compassion and love for us. Because He takes us out of circumstance after circumstance we grow dependent on Him learning to trust Him in everything we do. If you shoot to the top without consolidating your relationship with God, there is every likelihood that you will easily fall from your exalted position. Some people who face challenges at the top turn to the Devil for help when they are faced with seemingly unsurmountable challenges. This is a death sentence and will result only in pain, anguish and sorrow which may possibly be passed on to subsequent generations. Proverbs 3:5-6 says that,

⁵ Trust in the Lord with all your heart

and lean not on your own understanding;

⁶ in all your ways submit to him,

and he will make your paths straight.

It should be a thing of joy to savour the miracles that God does for you even as He leads you to your promised land. Enjoy the process! Many people believe that Joseph’s rejection of the advances of Potiphar’s wife were purely based on his level of holiness. While he was a very holy, God-fearing and upright child of God there is something that was also very strong that contributed to his rejecting Potiphar’s wife. Genesis 39:9 says that,

No one is greater in this house than I am. My master has withheld nothing from me except you, because you are his wife. How then could I do such a wicked thing and sin against God?”

Remember that Joseph was beaten up by his brothers, thrown in a pit and left for dead. God took him from that hopeless situation to where he was managing Potiphar’s house and even though a servant he ate good food, had good clothing and enjoyed comfortable living conditions. You see Joseph had been a recipient of the mercy and favour of God and it made him draw closer to God to the point where he could not imagine sinning against God for any reason even if it cost him his life. When you allow God take you through the process you will get overwhelmed with His immeasurable love and a time will come when you will find it impossible to offend God because of your tremendous awe for Him built through the outpouring of His love upon your life. The process is good! (say ‘God’s process is good’ out aloud seven times).

A classical example of the importance of process is between the first and the last Adams. Adam was created as an adult man. The Bible does not say that he was born a baby and grew to be a man.  Genesis 2:7 says that,

Then the Lord God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.

1 Corinthians 15:45 says that,

So it is written: “The first man Adam became a living being”[a]; the last Adam, a life-giving spirit.

The last Adam refers to Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ our Lord and Saviour was not created a man but born as a baby through a woman and grew to become a man. Because Jesus came to redeem what the first Adam had lost to that serpent the Devil, God ensured that He was well prepared for the assignment by taking him through processes and preparation that would ensure His victory. The Devil tempted both the first and the last Adam, however he failed with the last Adam because Jesus was prepared maximally. Luke 2:52 shows that Jesus went through processes:

And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man.

So it is obvious from this that anyone who is not properly prepared will probably be unable to overcome the Devil which likely means the inability to fully complete one’s assignment. This is quite serious because God created each one of us to fulfill a purpose and it’s pertinent that we achieve that purpose. That’s the only time you can truly say you are successful.

When I was younger (and sometimes even now) I wanted God to do things immediately all the time. While there are circumstances where an instant intervention is needed we should not expect that every issue we bring to God will be handled immediately. A few years ago I had a colleague who was a serious challenge to my work and my peace. I worked on and off with this person for about three years. All the while I just wanted God to take him away from me because he was very domineering, manipulative and crafty. I prayed and hoped but he was always there. However during that period I embarked on my first 40 days fasting and prayer in my life with night vigil almost everyday. That tremendously boosted my spiritual capacity and strength. I also learned so many things about God through the three years and also a lot about the wiles of that loser the Devil. The truth was that at the end of the day the person I was scared of originally became scared of me to the point where he didn’t want us to take the same flight again. Brethren there is no need to fear the Devil! With Jesus the Devil can’t do nothing to you, unless you let him! I became spiritually alert and awake and that challenging experience has actually formed most of the foundation for my spiritual progress today. I doubt I would be able to overcome the greater challenges of the recent years were it not for that tough period. I also know that what God is taking me through now is preparing me for something much greater. And so it is for every Christian. You just need to make sure you learn and develop through the process so that you can graduate to the next level of your life.

You may be asking, ‘how can I connect with the God of process’? Well it’s not difficult.

• You must be born again. Without being a child of God you cannot expect to access God’s best (John 3:3).
•  You need to pray and invite Him into the situations you are passing through (Psalm 37:5).

• Ask Him to reveal to you the reason why you are currently experiencing what you are experiencing and what He desires to teach you from it (Ephesians 1:17-19). 
• Let Him know that you desire for Him to mould you into who He wants you to be and that you are ready to submit to His processes without looking for a shortcut along the line (Psalm 143:10).

• Tell God that you desire to strengthen your relationship with Him to the point where He can even confide in you (Amos 3:7).
• You need to learn the art of patience and trust that God will bring you through in His own time which is always the right time (Psalm 27:14, Galatians 4:4-5).
• You need to commit to holiness otherwise sin will disrupt your journey make you repeat stages or fail altogether (1 Peter 1:15-16).
• You need to liaise with ministers of the Gospel and other believers regularly to learn how God saw them through what you are experiencing now. Remember that no man is an island and also that whatever you may be going through someone, somewhere has experienced the same and came out successful. If someone else did, then you can as well (Proverbs 27:17).
• Keep studying your Bible and relevant books (Psalm 119:15-16, Joshua 1:8).
• You will not be able to access the God of Process without being born-again. If you have not given your life to Christ and you desire to do so kindly say the following prayer out aloud:

Lord Jesus I come to you today as a sinner. Forgive me and wash away my sins in your precious blood. I acknowledge that you died for me on the cross of Calvary and resurrected three days later. I receive you as my Lord and Saviour, have mercy upon me and receive me in your Kingdom that I might serve you all the days of my life In Jesus Name Amen.

Once you have said this prayer you have become a born-again Christian and can now partake in the inheritance of the saints. Thank God for how far He has brought you in life, then say the following prayers now!

a.   My Father, my Father grant me open eyes and spiritual insight to understand the purpose of my current situation In Jesus Mighty Name Amen.

b.   O LORD my Father, make me what you want me to be In Jesus Mighty Name Amen.

c.   O God of Process, grant me the strength, wisdom, patience and humility to successfully pass through the processes you have orchestrated for my life In Jesus Mighty Name Amen.

d.   O God of Process, realign me with my divine destiny wherever I may have missed it In Jesus Mighty Name Amen.

e.   O God of Process, help me to enjoy the journey of life In Jesus Mighty Name Amen.

Brethren keep believing and trusting Jesus, He will never let you down. The God of Process will ensure you are properly prepared to ascend your throne. I sense someone who is reading this is about to take their place in destiny. The Bible in Romans 8:19 says that,

For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God.

The world is waiting for you to manifest! Don’t delay anymore but just trust the God of Process and watch how He lifts you into destiny. It’s your set time of favour!

God bless you. Jesus is LORD!

Please if you said the prayer of salvation kindly let me know by sending an email to abiodun.ajijola@gmail.com. Also if you have any enquiries or comments please feel free to send me an email.