“You have to learn to love the cave. . . . In the cave, you become rooted in faithfulness and obedience to God above all else, and you uproot the weeds of man pleasing and the fear of man.”- Banning Liebscher
“He made my mouth like a sharpened sword, in the shadow of his hand he hid me; he made me into a polished arrow and concealed me in his quiver.”- Isaiah 49:2 (NIV)
Banning Liebscher concludes Chapter 2 of Rooted as he notes that many people fail to thrive in their current circumstances. They fail to thrive where God has placed them because they feel God left them behind. However, rushing to catch up pulls you off base. In addition, Pastor Liebscher asserts, it’s harmful to rush. Thus, slowing down is critical to the root-building process.
Similarly, when you plant a garden, there’s little you can do to speed up plant growth. For example, in most cases overwatering kills plants. Hence, on a daily basis, plants only absorb a specific amount of water and nutrients. Also, there’s only so much plants can grow in one day. And, Banning observes, that holds true for us as well. When we try to rush our growth, we end up destroying it. As a result, the author encourages:
“Trust God to get you there in His time. God will get you to where He wants you, when He wants you, and how He wants to get you there. If you’re not there, it’s because He doesn’t want you there yet. . . . But no one can make a God promise happen. The One who promises is the One who fulfills.
In conclusion, Banning presents the last key to thriving in the root-building process – embrace being hidden. Furthermore, Banning explains that being hidden means:
- that we’re not seeking a visible platform for our calling
- we don’t force open any doors that God has not opened
- waiting for God to put us in front of others at the right time
Today’s question: What Scriptures enable you to learn to love the cave? Please share.
Tomorrow’s blog: “Places of weakness and vulnerability”
