Your Day Of Manifestation
Recently while studying the book of Luke, I came across a Bible verse that ministered to me in a significant way. Just in case you are not aware, I am currently doing an in-depth study of the book of Luke. I believe I will be studying it for the next few months. It may actually be more than few months because I have been stuck in Luke 1 for the last month or two:). Before I mention the verse and how it ministered to me, I believe it is worth it to briefly provide an overview of the book.
Luke is one of the 3 Synoptic gospels. The other synoptic gospels include the book of Matthew and the book of Mark. The author of the book is believed to be Luke. He is also believed to be the author of the book of Acts. The book is believed to have been written around AD 80-90 and is geared more towards a Gentile audience as compared to a book such as John, which is geared more towards a Jewish audience.
Since we now have a basic understanding of the book, let us talk about the scripture that ministered to me. The scripture is Luke 1:80 and is quoted below in the New King James translation
So the child grew and became strong in spirit, and was in the deserts till the day of his manifestation to Israel. (Luke 1:80 NKJV)
Even though this scripture may look rather uninspiring, it carries insight that is important for us to grasp. This verse is essentially talking about John the Baptist. After having been born to Zechariah and Elizabeth, we are told that he lived in the 'deserts' until the day of his manifestation. Please note the underlined text.
You may be wondering why this verse is significant. The significance of this scriptures is due to the fact that many of us perceive ‘deserts’ as places that are typically associated with lack, insignificance and sometimes failure. What we sometimes fail to realize, is that deserts are also places that God uses to mold us to be what He called us to be. Examples include,
- Moses going into the wilderness (Midian) for 40 years before launching into his calling (Acts 7:30).
- Jesus being "led by the Spirit into the wilderness" before the start of His ministry (Matthew 4:1).
- Paul going to the desert of Arabia before the launch of his ministry (Galatians 1:17).
Please note that this list is not exhaustive by any means!
All these key people in the Bible had some type of experience being the the wilderness/desert before they launched into their calling! This clearly shows us that something happened to them in the wilderness that would not have happened had they not gone there. Are you going through a wilderness experiene in your life? It just could be that the Lord is preparing to transtion you into your calling!
The second part of Luke 1:80 is even more interesting. It says “till the day of his manifestation to Israel”. This means that even though you may be in the wilderness today, God has a day that is scheduled for you to come out of the wilderness! Hallelujah. The day you come out of your desert is "Your Day of Manifestation".
The big question is, what determines when you come out of the wilderness (or desert)?
I am of the belief that the timing of when we come out of the wilderness is determined partly by God’s timing and also partly determined by us. Essentially our response to being in the wilderness is part of the determining factor as to when we will come out. Example, the children of Israel (after the exodus) were only supposed to stay in the wilderness for a short time. However due to their response and their stubbornness, they ended being stuck in the wilderness for 40 long years!
The bottom line is this. Whatever the Lord is doing in your life, be thankful for it and keep on trusting Him. Don’t complain. Keep a positive attitude. Soon enough, God will bring you out and manifest you to everyone, like He did to John the Baptist. Essentially, do not let your attitude towards your wilderness prolong the amount of time you will have to wait for "Your Day of Manifestation".
