Always prepared - in season or out

Photo by Yaopey Yong on Unsplash

Sometimes I park on the seafront to work from my car (or a seafront cafe!). It gives me some space, and the change of scenery can be refreshing and inspiring. The other day, as I watched the tide flow in and then out, something caught my attention. No matter whether the tide was coming in or going out, the waves never stopped pushing forward. The ebbs and flows were constant, with the occasional surprise wave that pushed in further than the rest, even as the sea was receding.

Every day, twice a day, the tide comes in and covers the beach. It covers the footprints and sand-creations, smoothing out the sand as though no-one had ever been there. This reminded me of God’s love and how we should love one another, with a love that covers over a multitude of sins (Proverbs 10:12, 1 Peter 4:8), His forgiveness that washes us clean of sin (Hebrews 10:22, 1 John 1:9), and His mercy which is new every morning (Lamentations 3:22-23). The tide coming in, smoothing out the sand, ‘wiping the slate clean’, gives us a fresh canvas upon which we can start over; set new prints and build new creations.

But it was the relentless movement of the sea, in the tides and the waves, that got me thinking about prayer and mission. Something that has been on my mind a lot lately. The tides made me think about seasons that come and go; seasons of mission, like when you have a mission week, organise events over an annual festival, or run an evangelistic course. There are times when the opportunities are obvious and other times when they are not.

There is a Scripture which is often misinterpreted that has really spoken to me through this picture of the sea. 2 Timothy 4:2 (NIV); “preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season”. Being ‘in season and out of season’ might suggest that there are times when we ‘preach the word’ and times when we don’t. To think that is to miss the point of this verse.

The first thing to note is how we understand ‘season’. This actually means opportunity or convenience. The NRSV puts it like this: “proclaim the message; be persistent whether the time is favourable or unfavourable”. Whether there seems to be an opportunity or not, and whether it is convenient or not. The second is this: regardless of the season or opportunity, always be prepared, persistent even. Always! Proclaim the message regardless.

This is where the waves come in. If the tide is the season, opportunity or convenience, the waves are the relentless readiness to push forward—the persistence to proclaim the message. Whether the time seems right or not, there is always the chance to pray and step into opportunity where there appears to be none. In those moments, you just might get that sneaky surprise wave that pushes forward further than at other times.

How many of us don’t feel ready even in the middle of an obvious opportunity?! I know I am deeply challenged by this. But, just like the waves that push forward regardless of the direction of the tide, there are always opportunities for us if we are willing to push forward, regardless of how favourable or otherwise the time is.

As I think of here in the UK, when there is increasing hostility to the gospel, and the government seems to be enforcing this hostility, and even in the deafening silence of the Church, nevertheless. We must “proclaim the message; be persistent whether the time is favourable or unfavourable”.