In the early 90s, I went to preach to a student body at the University of Lagos, Nigeria. I told them that there is always a time interval between when we carry out our seed-sowing and harvest. They asked me why that has to be so. I quickly retorted by asking why the University authority would put a time interval between matriculation and convocation. The point sank deep. Hardly will God reveal to you your life purpose and expect that you start immediately. Those who thought and acted that way had themselves to blame. The key lesson for today is the fact that when God calls you for a thing, a gestation period often follows. This point deserves all the attention because so many people have run into trouble from failing to understand it.

Moses was an example of a man who understood the call of God but failed to allow for gestation. He was forty years old when He became conscious of God’s assignment for his life. He swung into action immediately, killing an Egyptian. He went ahead of God and ended up spending forty years of his life in the wilderness. Joseph had a dream in his teen years. It took another 13 years for that dream to come into reality. David was another example. He was anointed to be next in line to the throne when he was a teenager. He also had to wait for some 13 years to mount the throne. From our text, it is clear that a period elapsed from when God called Barnabas and Saul and when they were eventually launched out. It is one thing to get our purpose or bearing right, it is something different to know the timing of the Lord. Let us keep in mind that just as we need to minister to Him to get the mandate, the same thing is required to get the method and timing.