Stand and Deliver

“They also serve who only stand and wait” (John Milton, 1608-1674) is the final line in Milton’s poem written in response to his blindness. It is a defiant counter-statement to the idea that he is marooned or made unproductive by his disability. He works from where he is rather than where he would like to be. That echoes Paul’s concern. It can be harder to stand and wait when you would rather be up and off, taking initiatives and moving on to something new, particularly when you have become a new person in Christ and genuinely want to serve him. In Corinth, one group who faced this issue starkly was spouses whose partners were not yet believers. Wouldn’t it be easier to leave in order to serve Christ more effectively? To converted slaves and new Christians embarrassed by their Jewish background, Paul says: “The default is, remain where (or as) you are.”

Similar challenges face us: Should new converts move to a better area? Should we move to a livelier church? Should I become a missionary, a pastor? The motives behind such questions are varied. Some are thinking, “If only I were in that place doing that ministry I would be so much more fruitful.” Others cannot get their head around the notion that God calls people to be firefighters, gardeners, bankers, bus drivers and journalists. For others, the idea of something new is always appealing.

Paul’s maxim is “remain” (20), and it is founded on the right of God to call us because he has bought us (23). We are not free agents, so our happiness is not the determining factor in our ministry. Neither is our evaluation of fruitfulness (because spiritual fruitfulness for a slave might have been particularly difficult to ascertain). Persevere until God moves you on.

What do you find frustrating about your present role and responsibilities? Bring these to God, asking that he might enable you to witness him at work around you today.