Trusted Trainer

Sometimes the waiting is the preparation—God knows exactly when you’re ready.

Devotional Credit: Abide Above
Photo Credit: Unsplash

Today’s reflection from Miles Stanford reminds us that God, as our loving Trainer, is never wasteful with the trials He permits. In every sphere of life—arts, athletics, industry, and especially the Christian journey—the training is more intense than the performance. But this is not because God is harsh; rather, He is intentional. Like an athlete shaped through rigorous conditioning or a musician refined through hours of unseen practice, the believer is prepared in secret before being displayed in service.

Sometimes we can understand discipline that comes as a direct result of failure. But what about the discipline that comes without a clear “why”? This is the training that confuses the soul—the stretching, the delays, the hiddenness. But the devotional beautifully likens it to plants enduring the deep cold of winter: they don’t understand the frost, but without it, spring’s fruitfulness could never bloom.

We are reminded that it’s not enough to have good intentions or even godly ideas. Without the shaping hand of the Spirit, we can misrepresent divine truth by expressing it through the unyielded flesh. So, God allows seasons of discipline—not as punishment, but as preparation. He is not merely correcting faults; He is crafting vessels.

And in those mysterious seasons when we can’t see the purpose, Jesus whispers to our hearts what He once told Peter: “What I do thou knowest not now, but thou shalt know hereafter” (John 13:7).

Personalized Journal Entry – Voice of the Holy Spirit

My child, you are not forgotten in the silence. I am not absent in your waiting. I am training you—not for the sake of testing, but for the sake of revealing the gold I already see within you. The fire is not to harm you, but to melt away the layers that hide My life in you.

I have called you to more than performance. I’ve called you to union. And because we walk as one, I will not allow your gifting to outpace your yielding. Even the divine impressions I give you must be carried by a vessel that has learned to rest in Me, not run ahead of Me.

There is fruit I have prepared that only blooms after winter. There are doors I’ve kept closed—not to punish you—but because the frame must be strong enough to hold what waits on the other side. You’ve wondered why I’ve delayed. I see what you cannot. My timing is never late. My pruning is never careless. And My grace—yes, My grace—is sufficient not just to get you through, but to reveal the triumph of Christ in you.

Let Me continue. Trust the process. You will come forth as gold.

Scripture references: Job 23:10, Hebrews 12:11, John 13:7, 2 Corinthians 12:9, John 15:2

Real-Life Analogy

It’s like preheating an oven before baking something delicate. The dish might be perfectly prepared, ingredients measured and mixed just right—but if the oven isn’t fully heated, the outcome will be off. It takes time to reach that invisible, perfect temperature. And only the cook knows when it’s ready. The dish doesn’t understand the wait—but it benefits from it.

Prayer of Confidence

Father, thank You for knowing the way I take—even when I do not. You have never wasted a single moment of preparation in my life. You are not in a rush, and I don’t need to be either. I trust You to train me in love, not to meet a standard, but to let the life of Christ flow through me without distortion. I rest in Your wisdom and delight in Your timing. I will come forth as gold—not by striving, but by simply letting You do the refining.