It Doesn't Make Sense... Yet

- Well, welcome to Journey Church. Go ahead and grab your seats if you're joining us online. We are so glad that you are here today. We have been in a series this summer called Stories of Faith. And we have been looking at different characters in the Bible and what their lives, what their faith journey can teach us for our lives today. In our faith journey. Today we're gonna look at the biblical character of Noah. If you have your Bible, go ahead and find the first book in your Bible, Genesis chapter six. I gotta ask you as we settle into today's message, let me ask you, has anybody ever been in a season where God said something or asked you to do something and it hasn't happened yet? Anybody show our hands throughout your life? Okay, a lot of us, a lot of us have been in a season, maybe where we've been praying for someone or for something and yet nothing's changed yet. Maybe you've been believing that your spouse will join you at church and they haven't joined you in church, not yet. Maybe, just maybe you have been obeying and living out what God's called you to do as a Christ follower, not perfect, but you've been obeying and yet you don't see evidence of God working in your life, the way you would have hoped. Well, at least not yet. See that word yet, if it was four letters, it would be a curse word.

You can laugh 'cause that's funny, but it's only three letters. It's a three-letter word, yet. Look at your neighbor, tell him, yet, yet. It's a small word that carries a lot of weight because yet is where tension lives, yet is where doubt creeps in, yet is where our faith is formed. The title of my message for this weekend is it doesn't make sense. Dot, dot, dot, yet. What do you do when it doesn't make sense? When you've prayed, when you've served, when you've obeyed, when you've done things to the best of your ability the way God asked you to do them and yet you look at your life, you look at your marriage, you look at your family, you look at your business, you look at your finances, what do you do when it just doesn't make sense? Well, you put a dot, dot, dot, yet on it. What do you do when it doesn't make sense yet? You gotta lean in to what the Bible calls faith. Faith, see, faith is not needed when everything makes sense. If it makes sense, you don't need faith, but faith is needed when it doesn't make sense. In fact, the Bible tells us in Hebrews chapter 11, verse one, it says, now faith is, what's that word? You can talk to me. Now, faith is confidence, faith is confidence. Faith is confidence in what we hope for.

It's assurance, it's assurance about what we do not see. It doesn't say faith is wishful thinking, it says faith is confidence. It doesn't say faith is confidence in what we hope for and pretending like everything's okay. You don't have to pretend like everything in your life is okay. If it stinks right now, if it's hard right now, if it hurts right now, you are allowed to feel that. God can handle that. Faith is trusting God enough to obey before, say before, before you see the results. Some stick with it, some stick to it-tiv-ness, some staying power, see, the Lord told me back in May, I wrote it in my journal, we were preparing for the summer and the Lord told me, he said, write this down. He said, faith trusts God in the gap between what he said and what you see. That's the whole sermon. I mean, I could just say, amen, we could go back to worship and baptisms. I mean, some of y'all, I just told you that for two months, I've been sitting on faith trusts God in the gap between what he said and what you see. And you're like, who's gonna win the World Cup? Probably Argentina. I mean, we'll see, maybe not. Listen, when I was growing up in church, Grandma Lu, my spiritual mama, "Faith is trusting God between what he said and what you see."

She taught me, you go, "Mm, mm." It's like with my brother and my older brother, he used to like check me into the wall. I'd be like, "Mm, got me, whoa." Some of us today, you're gonna get up, "Mm, so let's practice." Faith is trusting God between what he said and what you see. "Mm, mm." I gotta stop and think about that. I think the Lord might be trying to speak to me. I think I need to slow it down for a second journey, church. See, because I think Noah had a mm moment. See, in Hebrews 11-7, it says, "By faith, Noah, when he was warned about things not yet seen in a holy fear he built in an ark to save his family." He wasn't afraid. Holy fear is obedience, reverence. It's applying what God said, even when it doesn't make sense yet. So let's look at Genesis chapter 6. The world is filled with wickedness everywhere, corruption everywhere, sin, debauchery. In fact, the Bible says that the Lord regretted he had made human beings on the earth in his heart was deeply troubled. Genesis 6. There was so much wickedness and corruption and sin, but then there's a little verse. Genesis 6.8, it says this, "But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord. Let it be said of you and me. What journey, church, found favor in the eyes of the Lord. But Sarah found favor in the eyes of the Lord. But Dylan found favor." Come on, in the eyes of the Lord. But Teresa found favor. I know it looked one kind of way.

The world was just going through the motions, lulled to sleep by corruption and sin. But Tony, but Tony found favor. Tony, Noah is dropped into the Word of God at a pivotal moment. See, before the ark, before the flood, before the miracle, where God saved and then put a rainbow in the sky, Noah walked with God. Now listen, he wasn't perfect, but he was faithful. And that's what we can apply to our lives. We don't have to be perfect, thanks be to God, none of us are, can be, or will be. But Noah was faithful. He trusted God between what God said and what Noah saw. In fact, what did God say? Well, I'm glad you asked. Genesis 6, let's read our Bible story for today. We're going to pick up in verse 12. God saw how corrupt the earth had become. For all the people on earth had corrupted their ways. So God said to Noah, I'm going to put an end to all people. For the earth is filled with violence because of them. I'm surely going to destroy both of them and the earth. Imagine the Lord saying that to you when you're praying, you're like, Lord, I'm just trying to figure out if I should apply for this job or not. And he's like, whoa, okay. Verse 14. So make yourself an ark of cypress was say, hold on a second, I need to whittle a stick and dip it in some berries to write this down. Let's see, make rooms in it, coat it with pitch. This is how you are to build it. The ark is to be 300 cubic long, 50 cubits wide, 30 cubits high. Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, Lord. You're going a little fast.

Can you slow down? I mean, you're giving me the details. See, some of us, we're not seeing God do what God said he would do because we're not doing it specifically exactly the way he told us to do it. Mm, mm. What I know, what I've found out is if God tells you to do it a certain way, you better do it that way, not your way, not most of the way. He didn't say, make the ark 32 cubits high, he said, make the ark 30 cubits high. Most have been a reason, keep reading. He says, put a door in the side of the ark and make it lower, middle, and upper decks. God, I ought to put a front door, maybe a back door. Why are we putting a side door? You better do it the way the Lord said, I'm preaching better than your amen. The Lord's been telling you to do something a certain way and you aren't hearing from him some of you because you didn't do it the way he said to do it. God has been very, very specific in this account. Verse 17, he says, I'm going to bring flood waters on the earth to destroy all life under the heavens. Every creature that has the breath of life and everything on earth will perish. Imagine praying, and the Lord's saying that to your like, well, that's a lot. And then verse 18, but says the Lord, praise God, but I will establish my covenant with you and you will enter the ark. Okay, I'll put the door exactly where you may... you want a side door, we'll put it in a side door. You want it 30 qubits high, we're gonna make it exactly that we're gonna do it your way, God. Some of us need to say, come on, we need to say, God, I'm gonna do it your way. It doesn't make sense, dot, dot, dot, yet, but I'm gonna do it your way.

You said to do it this way, I'm gonna do it that way, your way. So here's the first thing I wanna show us today in this message, it doesn't make sense yet. First thing is this, point number one, write this down, trust God before there's evidence. Trust God before there's evidence. Can you imagine being Noah? God's like built a boat in a place with no water. It had not ever rained before at this point in history. God says prepare for a flood, there's not even a storm. God says to Noah, get ready for something that has never happened. I feel like the Lord might be saying to somebody this weekend, you better get ready, get ready, you better get ready, get ready, I'm about to do something, I'm about to do something, mmm, I'm about to do something, says, Lord, you better get ready, it doesn't make sense. I'm telling you how I want you to do it. You better listen, not be distracted, you better write it down, you better remember what he said. God said, do it this way, I came to tell somebody, this weekend, God will often speak before you see anything. Mmm. Amen? I don't know if you've ever walked this out, I'm 41 years old, I'm just telling you what I've lived. I've lived, I've seen that God will often speak before I see anything. The question is not as God's speaking, the question is number one, am I listening

and number two, will I obey? Am I listening, will I obey? Listen, if you like me at times, if you're waiting on evidence, you'll miss obedience. I said, if you're waiting on evidence, is this thing on? Am I at Journey Church? I said, if you're waiting on evidence from God, you will miss the opportunity to be obedient. We have to have a kind of faith where we trust God before there's evidence. Listen, sometimes I want God to show me how it's gonna work out before I move, before I act. I say, God, if you show me the finish line, then I'll start, God, you want me to do this thing, well, show it to me, prove it to me. Listen, you don't need it written in the sand when you're out for a walk on the beach. God said it, that settles it, whether you believe it or not. See, Noah had a kind of faith that I long for. God spoke Noah act. He didn't delay. God spoke Noah act. See, this is where faith gets difficult. God asks you to prepare for something you cannot prove will happen. At least not yet. Maybe God's asking you to step out and forgive somebody. I was thinking about what the Lord wanted us to do with this first point.

I think maybe the Lord wants some of us young adults to step out and trust him with our future. Maybe some of us older adults trust him with our future. I think about what does it mean to trust God before there's evidence? Maybe God is asking you to take a step of obedience and you're saying, God, I'll do it when you tell me how it's gonna play out and God's saying, no, trust me first. I feel like I can't stop preaching about trust. You're probably getting sick and tired of me preaching about trusting God. But here's what I've learned. The moment you get sick and tired of me talking about it, it's like your kids, you're just started listening to me. So I'll just keep preaching trust God so the Lord tells me to preach something else because I feel like there's a group of people in today's world, I don't think it's us, but it might be some of us. We don't really trust God, not to the degree that we should or could. And today's message is meant to encourage us, to challenge us, not to trust God when it's convenient, but to trust God, period. Look at your neighbor, tell him, trust God, period. Trust God, period. See Noah, he trusted God and didn't wait for evidence. I think we got to be like Noah.

Each point has a declaration for application. A declaration for application. Come on. If the first point is trust God, even before there's evidence, here's the declaration. God, I don't see it yet, but I will trust you anyway. Come on, close your eyes and say, God, I don't see it yet. That's because your eyes are closed. You live by sight instead of by faith. The word of God says to live by faith, not by what you see. What you see is temporary. Trust God, even when you can't, God, I don't see it. Say it, I don't see it, God. I don't see it, God. But, come on, tell 'em, but I'm gonna trust you anyways. It's like planting that you open your eyes. It's like planting a seed in the ground. You buy a plant, maybe you buy a packet of those tomato seeds in you. You bury it, the seed, and the dirt, and for a while it doesn't look like anything's happening. You know why? Because you can't see above the ground what's happening beneath the ground. You know what I'm saying? Like, the seed, before the seed produces fruit, it has to be planted. That's a word for somebody.

Before you can produce fruits, you gotta be planted. Planted in the house of God. Not just attending occasionally, planted. Not just dating a church. Planted. Not just dating your spouse, although you should date your spouse, planted. What God has joined together, no one's gonna separate, planted at your workplace. Not just passing through, planted. See, before there's fruit, there's roots. Somebody say roots. Before there's visible growth, there's invisible work happening beneath the surface. And that's exactly what Noah did. Every piece of wood that he would cut, that he would hammer, that he would put on this ark. Some scholars believe, based upon when Noah, his children were born. He was about 500 years old. The Bible tells us later that he was 600 years old or so. It took 100 to 125 years to build that ark. Day after day, week after week, month after month, year after year, decade after decade. A hundred plus years of it not making sense. See, sometimes God does his deepest work in the season where you see the least. I don't see it, God. But I'll trust you anyway. Let me ask you.

Where are you waiting for proof when you should be trusting? Where? Take a picture of that. Write that down in your nose. No takers or leaders, leaders or learners. Where are you? Where are we waiting for proof? God, if it's really you, prove it. God's saying, trust me. Trust me. See, Noah, he trusted God before there was evidence. That trusting God in a moment, it's challenging, but trusting God with your whole life, that's more challenging. See, some of us, we get saved, we get baptized. Praise God for 42 people. Getting baptized this weekend. Wow. In case you don't know, halfway through the year, we're more than 600 documented salvation this calendar year. Praise God. There were 750 all last year. We still got a half a year to go. Revival is happening. It might not make sense to you, not yet. See, but when you give God your life, it's not just a transaction. It's not just a moment of time.

It's not just, God, I trust you for today, although you should trust him for today, it's God, I trust you with my life. That's what Noah did. God spoke to Noah and he asked Noah to build his whole life around this promise God gave. I'm going to destroy the world, but save you. You better do it God's way. Let's go back to our story. See faith is trusting God's direction, even when the route feels confusing. Yeah. You ever have one of those back in the day of those Tom, Tom GPS devices, they'd set on your dashboard, right? And most of the time it didn't work. You know what I'm talking about? Those little Tom, Tom GPS's back in the day. And like you would start driving and all of a sudden like it would disconnect. Recalibrating. You're like, how am I supposed to know where I'm supposed to go? Good thing you printed out the MapQuest. Remember MapQuest? You print out the directions and you're like, okay, I got this. But then like you'd end up lost for some reason, mostly because maybe you didn't listen to your wife when you were driving.

That was my experience witnessing my parents in the car. My dad was like, nah, I'm going to do it this way. And the GPS was like intermittently saying do it that way. And my momma was like, nah, nah, no, we're going to do it this. There's all these voices, my dad's voice. The GPS kind of glitching out my mom's voice. And I remember my dad, I was like, 10. He's like, Philip, can you look at this map? He's one of these Rand McNally life-sized body map. I mean, he's like bigger than me. You know what I'm talking about? And it's like upside down. I'm in Oklahoma, not even Ohio. I'm on the wrong page in the rap. And some of us, come on, there's so much noise. There's so many voices. We're not even in the right state of mind. And you're driving like I did today on the way to Journey. I take the same route to Journey, Aevon, nearly every single day when I come here. And it says, I don't know why I use the GPS when I drive here. Google Maps is convenient. I'm just like, maybe there'll be a different way this time. And so it's like, turn right ahead on Barton Road. I'm like, I ain't turning right on Barton Road. I gotta go through a neighborhood, it's gonna be all crazy. It's like, I'm gonna go downstairs and catch 90 and go on the highway.

See, one time, not today, but one time, I decided to go the way I knew to go. Hello, I went the way I knew to go. I did it the way I thought it should be done. I disregarded the voice that was guiding me. You picking up what I'm putting down? And I'm like, I see the red line. It's like, do you wanna follow a shorter route? Like, you know, that little message. I'm like, what are you talking about? Yes, I wanna follow the shorter route. Who wants to go the long way? I got places to be, anybody? I mean, why are you even asking Google, remove the question, do you wanna take the shorter route? Of course, I wanna take the shorter route. So one day, I'm taking the shorter route and I turned through this neighborhood. My God, the heavens opened, there was a garage sale. (audience laughing) I'm up here like, hey, faith is stressing God between what he said and what you see. And you're like, and then I'm like, there's a garage sale. You're like, yeah, yeah, yeah, tell me about it. I'll tell you about it. There were these like red cardboard bricks that we used to play with in Sunday school. Some of y'all know what I'm talking about. I bought three garbage bags of them. Why? I don't know, they were there.

I bartered, they were 40 bucks for three bags. I was like, I'll give you 20. She's like 35, I'm like 25. She's like deal, I gave her 30. 'Cause I only had a 20 and a 10, I paid 30 bucks for cardboard bricks. We did take them out of the garbage bag once. See the thing you think you need and the place you ended up going? It's still sitting in the garbage bag, not being used. Who am I talking to? Who am I preaching to? Come on, come on. But here's what I know. When I bought the bricks, the Lord had an appointment for me. It wasn't about the bricks. It was about the lady that I bought the bricks from that got to come to journey search and meet Jesus. Sometimes you go away that doesn't make sense 'cause God's got a divine appointment when you follow his direction. Ooh, ooh, ooh. Man, that's grandma, I'll lose double, double, ooh. Ooh. (audience laughing) Genesis 619. God says you're to bring into the arc two of every living creature, male and female. Think about that one.

So you want me to like check to make sure what gender they are, God? Between handling boards of wood, you want me, we'll leave it right there. To keep them alive, you want me to keep them alive. So I'm a carpenter, now I'm a zoologist, right? He says to every kind of bird, every kind of animal, every kind of creature that moved. Now you want me to bring snakes? Nah, no one should have left the snakes off the boat. I'm just saying, you have 21. You're to take every kind of food. Now we talking. Okay, carpenter, I'm a zookeeper, now I'm a chef. You may take every kind of food and you want me to feed everybody on a boat? You know what Noah did? What I don't always do, he verse 22. Look at your neighbor tell him, verse 22. You can get a tattoo, G622, Genesis 622. Noah did what, tell me, come on, tell me, preach to me. Noah did what? Not some things, he did everything, he did everything. I wonder if you're missing out on the peace of Christ because you obey before it makes sense. That's the second point. You obey before it makes sense, but not fully. I've been there. He's telling you what I've lived. I'm not coming at you, I'm just, you're welcome to my life.

I obey most of the way and God says obey even before it makes sense. I love that God starts giving Noah instructions to build the ark before the storm comes. God's not like a man that he should lie. God's not like me and you, that he's reactionary. God has a plan. God has a purpose, come on. All I see is problem, God sees purpose. All I see is reaction and God says, now I'm playing in something. Come on, I'm working something out. It's like that seed. Go out by your neighbor, the one falling asleep. Say, he's talking to you, it's working. That seed's working. There was a seed deposited that you don't even know is there and somebody's been praying into it. And today by faith, the Lord says I'm gonna cause it to grow. We plant, we water, but God causes the growth. And today at the end of my message, some of y'all that seed's gonna blossom and you're gonna step out of your aisle, out of your chair, out of your row. You're gonna come down to the front of your campus at the altar. You're gonna make a decision to give your life to Jesus. That seed of faith that grandma Lou put in there all those years ago, it's been watered and tended to and you didn't even know it. See, let's be honest. God says bring two of every kind of animal.

Bro, where's that coming from? Do I like blow a show far and they all show up? Like, you got a whistle or something? Like, I mean, I don't know. Maybe he could do that like whistling thing with his mouth that I can't do. Like, how's it, God, it doesn't make sense. And God says yet. See, that's why, that's why faith's like that GPS. You don't see the whole route. You don't know every turn. It's just that voice that says in 500 feet, turn left at the next stoplight. If some of y'all, you were driving down the rain road and Lord said, turn into that church called Journey. Journey Fairview. Oh, I know some of you, you were going one way to Costco and the Lord led you to Jesus at Journey Church. (congregation applauds) You gotta listen to the voice. If you keep following, even when it doesn't make sense, sooner or later, it'll make sense. Either this side of heaven or the other. Here's the declaration of application for obedience. Here we go, let's put on the screen. God, I don't understand it yet, but I will obey anyway. God, I don't understand it yet. It doesn't make sense. I don't understand why it keeps going this way.

How much longer, God? Anybody know this church word, Terry? Not my mother-in-law, her name's Terry, T-E-R-I. She's awesome, love her. I'm talking about T-A-R-R-Y. You know where you, Terry, right here, this is called the altar, Yateri in prayer. And if I remember, come on, where's my senior saints? Yateri in prayer, that means you obey when it doesn't make sense. You keep praying until God answers. You stick with it, you keep listening, you keep trusting, you Terry. Man, in 2026, we need some Terry. We got to learn how to Terry. May I ask you what's God ask you to do that you haven't done yet? I was doing a little 2026 inventory. I went back through my journal January through June. All the things the Lord had downloaded to me. You got to write it down. He says, "30 cubits high." You got to write it down and do it that way. Journaling is an important discipline as a Christ follower. I was going through my journal recently and there were three or four things that I couldn't check off in blue pen. See, when the Lord tells me, do something, go on a date every week with your wife, check, right? Pay off that car early, you know, check, right?

Apply for that job. I gave some y'all an assignment last week. Remember, I said, you have till the end of the week. And by doing their assignment, that thing that God was speaking to you, I know it took courage. See, we got to take inventory. We got to reflect. We got to remember. We got to respond to what God has said. What has God asked you to do? Are you obeying? See, because obedience isn't about starting something. It's about staying with it. And by having kids, they obey halfway, but it's delayed. Don't you love it? Can you take the trash from the kitchen to the trash can outside? - After a delay, they obey half of the way. There's trash on the floor, they don't put the bag back in. Anybody know what I'm talking about? I mean, maybe it's not the trash, but so clean up your room, whatever. How you feel when they delay before they obey, and then they only obey half the way? Anybody know what I'm talking about? You like, you hot and bothered. You're like, bro, I love you. I tryna help you.

One day your wife, she gon' want you to take that trash out without being asked. I love you, I tryna help you. Man, you gotta do it before I ask. You already know, bro, when the trash is full, you take it out, you put it in the dumpster and some of y'all love you. Some of us, we obey after a delay, but we only do it halfway. And the Lord said, will you obey even before it makes sense? And will you keep obeying? Point three, say point three. Point three is this, keep going before results show up. Will you keep going before you see the result? Will you teary? Will you keep going week after week, month after month, year after year, decade after decade, Noah is just doing the thing by himself with his boys and people are making fun of him. They're mocking him, but he just keeps obeying even though it doesn't make sense yet. It doesn't make sense that you give that money to that church they might say. Does it make sense that you could be golfing and you go to church on Sunday morning? It doesn't make sense that you pray with your kids before bed. You got to do all that. I don't have to, I get to. I get to obey.

I get to obey. I get to keep going. Let that sit for a second. We read this story. And it takes us a couple of minutes or so. You know, you read Genesis six and seven and, but Noah lived this for a hundred years, you guys. I'm not even asking you to endure for a hundred years. I'm just asking you to do what I've been trying to do. Can we do it together? Can we encourage each other? Stick with it. Keep going. Don't quit. A few months ago, I preached a sermon and I said DQ. Remember, don't quit, don't quit now. Lord told me to remind you, don't quit now. You've come too far. It's like, it's like when I go to the gym. Hey, gym rats. I know in the room there's somebody who's got owns a gym. I talked to him in the lobby. I was like, bro, you go to the gym and see, you see results. I gotta keep going to the gym, even though I don't see the results. What you laughing at? Bro, I went to the gym. First day I went to the gym. I go home, I'm swole. I'm like, baby, feel this. Look at this.

What you laughing at? Come on. I'm trying to be real with you. She's like, she's like, oh yeah. Let me tell you about the way I was like this CrossFit workout. We're like, we're doing this thing. She's like, I don't need to hear about it. I'm like, baby, we're doing this thing. Like, where, I just feel, I should be like, no. I'm like in the mirror, I'm like, yeah. Then that night, I'm like, oh. Keep rubbing my feet there. Baby, my chest right here, where it was real swollen, strong. It's like sore. My peck muscle, oh my God, oh my God. Ooh, oh. And we live our lives that way. We're like, yeah. Oh, God, oh, why me? Okay, here we go. Code red. Didn't go the way I thought. If you can't walk, crawl. If you can't crawl, you better scurry yourself somehow, some way. If someone's laying on the ground, let's pick them up. Keep going. Don't you quit. Not now. I want to make it really clear to you,

'cause I say a lot, and I want you to make sure you don't miss this one. Mm-hmm. What hasn't happened yet, isn't the same as not happening. Mm-hmm. What hasn't happened yet isn't the same as it ain't gonna never happen. You've been praying, yet nothing. And if you're honest, Why should I keep going to the gym if all I get is sore muscles and no strength? Because what you might know that I'll remind you of is the pain has a purpose. It produces strength. There's little micro tears in your muscles that happen when the lactic acid starts to go and you get sore and achy, but if you keep going, if you push through, if you stretch, if you get up, if you go to the gym, if you pay the price, if you do the hard work of persevering, if you don't quit, God will do something in you. I know it feels like the muscle fibers are tearing in your soul. Don't quit. Noah, how sore must he have been? How much pain must he have felt? Thank God he didn't quit or we wouldn't be here. In Genesis 7.1, the Lord says to Noah, "Now go into the ark, you and your whole family. I found you righteous in this generation, praise God. Take with you seven pairs of every kind of clean animal, a male in its mate, one pair of every kind of unclean animal, a male in its mate, and also seven pairs of every kind of bird." Okay, this is getting out of hand, Lord. Male and female, keep their various kinds alive throughout the earth and then verse 4. After a hundred plus years of no timeline, just obedience, finally God gives a timeline. He says, "Seven days from now, I'll send rain on the earth for forty days.

Imagine if Noah was like you and me in college before our final exam and we crammed and procrastinated. I think the Lord knew Noah was ready. I can't prove it in Scripture, but I know that God doesn't give us that next assignment until he knows we're ready for it. Not because we could handle it. That's not even in the Bible. God, God won't give you any more than you can handle. Yes, he will. That's the whole point. You're not meant to handle it. And he knows you're ready to trust him. When he knows you're ready to obey him. When he knows that perseverance has finished its work, then he says, "It's time." I came here today, this Sunday, to say to somebody, "It's time, brother. It's time." I believe it's time. The Lord is saying, "It's time you've been in, you're in a yet season and what if you could say, it hasn't happened yet, but I'll keep going any way. It hasn't happened yet, God, but I'm going to keep going. I'm going to keep going any way. It doesn't make sense. I'm going to trust you. I don't understand. I'll obey you. It hasn't happened yet. God, I'm going to trust you." Because give me verse 5, Genesis 7-5, Genesis 7-5 says, "Read it to me." And Noah, come on, read it, Noah did all that the Lord commanded him. So you either get Gen G6-22 as your tattoo or you get G7-5. You got to do what the Lord says.

This is what I'm working on. Will you pray for me? Thanks. Appreciate it. I mean, you could at least nod. I'm working on trying to be a man, a husband, a leader, a pastor, a dad, a friend that does everything the way God commanded me to. Not shortcuts, not easy way outs, not halfway, not most of the way. All of the way. Think about a pregnancy. At least not yet. You can't shortcut the nine months. Plus or minus, it takes nine months. I know there's exceptions, but it's not like you walk up to your gynecologist. You're like, "Hey, listen, I've got a big appointment coming up in about four months. Can we do this in three?" It takes time for things to get worked out. You can't rush the process. See, timing matters for development. Timing matters. Write that down in your notes. Timing matters. Timing matters. What if delay is not denial? What if it's development? If God's developing something in you, where do you need to keep going? A few weeks ago, my dad gave my daughter Gracie a tomato plant. My dad, he loves birds, bird feeders, plants, flowers. He gets Gracie a tomato plant. See, Gracie, my dad says, "Gracie, this tomato plant needs three things. I know it needs more than three. She's eight, okay?"

This tomato plant needs three things. Number one, Gracie, it needs water. "Your job is to water this tomato, but not too much, not too little. Just the right amount. It needs water." See, some of us, God's entrusted to us something that He wants us to steward, and it needs water. It needs the water of the Word of God. That dream needs the water of the Word of God. My dad says to Gracie, "The second thing it needs, it needs sunlight. That's God's part. Sunlight. It needs time in the sun." See, you need time with the sun. I know you struggled the last week because of the haze, but you need time with the sun. Time in His presence. You got to water it with the Word. You got to sunlight. Time in His presence, and then He says, "Gracie, the third thing that this tomato plant needs, it needs time." Time. Don't be discouraged when it doesn't bear fruit right away. It needs time. And so if you're frustrated because God's not speaking or because it's taking longer than you expected, maybe it's your yet season. Maybe it's your yet season. It's okay, journey church, to say, "God, this doesn't make sense, yet." [MUSIC PLAYING]