Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] Foreign.
[00:00:09] Welcome back to another edition of the weekday podcast. I'm so glad you're here. Today at Sugar Hill Church, we do this thing called Word of the Year. We have Rock Sunday, and the question today is, what do you do when your word of the Year feels more like a punchline than an actual promise? And what I mean by that is maybe in January you picked a word, something like peace or growth or joy or focus, and you wrote it on your rock. You set your intention, and then maybe you even prayed over it. But now in August, it feels like that word, it belongs to someone else. What do you do when your word didn't work? Well, today's verse comes from Habakkuk, chapter 2, verse 3, where it says, for the vision is yet for the appointed time. It hastens towards the goal, and it will not fail, though it tarries. Wait for it, for it will certainly come. It will not delay. A couple of reminders today. Number one is the middle. It can feel like a mess. Habakkuk lived in this moment in national disappointment, Israel. It was supposed to be the light of God in that middle of that world. But the leaders had fled away from God. And so Josiah brought some reform. But Habakkuk, when he looked around, he still saw injustice, confusion, and chaos. And. And he asked the questions that we all ask God, where are you? Why is this happening? What are you doing?
[00:01:29] And when God responds, he doesn't respond with a quick fix, but with a promise. He says, the vision is for the appointed time. Wait for it. In other words, it's not here yet, but it is coming. And the same is true for your word. Maybe you're not seeing results. Maybe it feels like you've missed the mark. But that doesn't mean the word was wrong. And it means you're in the middle. And the middle is not failure. It's actually formation.
[00:01:53] Number two, delayed, isn't denied. God says it will not fail. It will certainly come now. We love certainty, we just don't love timing. The gap between receiving the vision and realizing it can feel endless. But the gap is sacred. It's where God deepens us and stretches us and prepares us. Think about Joseph, who. Who at 17 had a dream but sat in prison before he saw that promotion. Moses, who knew his calling but spent decades in the wilderness. And Even Jesus waited 30 years before public ministry. Your delay is not a sign that God has done. It is often proof that he's still working. He's not rushed. He's wise. And if the word was from God, the wait, it is not wasted. Number three, what do you do in the middle? And so here's the practical part. What do you do when the word you picked feels distant? Number one, revisit the word.
[00:02:46] Maybe it still fits, but life got noisy. Maybe it needs a fresh expression. You're not stuck. Ask God. Is this still the word you want me to live into for the rest of the year? Number two, rethink the outcome. Maybe your word was never about results, but about formation. Maybe discipline wasn't about getting six pack abs but about learning self control in your schedule. Maybe joy wasn't about giggles, it was about grounding your identity in Jesus. And then number three, recommit to the process.
[00:03:16] Because God's promises take time. You don't microwave transformation. You don't quit too early. You don't plant a seed and dig it up every week to see it growing. God's timeline rarely matches ours, but his results are always worth the wait. And so here's the reminder. Today, your word still matters. So what if you've drifted from your word? What if you're feeling guilty, shame or disappointment? You are not behind. You are not disqualified.
[00:03:41] You are not too late. And so all month long, we're calling this Mulligan month. The second swing at what matters most. Just because you dropped the ball doesn't mean the game is over. This is your invitation. Pick it up again. The second half of the year might just be the best half if you choose to re engage. The best part is you can do that today. So today I want to encourage you, God has not given up on you. And you don't have to give up on the word he placed in your heart. The middle isn't easy, but God meets us there. So take a breath, take another step and recommit to the journey. Have a great day.
