Divine Efficiency - Part 3 of 4 (expectations)

Isn’t it a joy when God multiplies your efforts?  After reading Part 1, hopefully you agree divine efficiency is something you should want.  After reading Part 2, hopefully you feel at peace with your motivation to keep seeking it regularly.  But what should you expect as you pray for and practice divine efficiency?Divine efficiency is not a magic trick, but rather a hopeful anticipation of bearing fruit.  Like other tools, it can frequently aid in completing your God-given tasks and other times seem to not work out at all.  It’s like a turn signal.  Despite my signaling, sometimes another car appears in the desired space first.  Does my turn signal even work?  Usually, it does.  It’s simply that there are a number of other factors potentially impacting the expected results.  Similarly, while God’s provision of divine efficiency can enable us to accomplish much or position/prepare us well for something, He doesn’t guarantee certain results (or even an open pathway) every time.  It doesn’t mean you stop asking or stop using that tool, whether it’s praying for divine efficiency or simply using your turn signal!  God is good and He is trustworthy.

Increasing maturity matters more than increasing efforts

Whether you’ve tried much or are just now exploring the concept, don’t expect fruit simply from “trying hard.”  In seeking Divine Efficiency, just like looking for an item in your home, it’s more about how you try.I have 4 kids, ages 4 to 11, each with their own method of “searching” for things, whether it’s an object or an answer to a tough question.   When I ask the 4-year old to get something from the refrigerator (and assuming he obeys), he typically opens the door, takes one quick peek at his own eye level, and closes the door.  While one of the older kids may look on multiple shelves, the oldest generally knows to keep looking, check on different shelves, move things around, and ask for help when needed.  More often than not, he comes out successful.  The 4-year old doesn’t seem to expect to find the desired item.  The 11-year old does, largely because he has more experience (practice!) and more maturity.When praying for divine efficiency (just like when looking for an item), you can check the “nice idea” box and know you did it, or you can genuinely invest yourself into it.  Maturity helps you honor God and others through how you try and also empowers you to set reasonable expectations.  Coupled with experience, this leads to revelation and understanding that in such effort there is often greater fruit than just the completion itself – or, in the case expectations still aren’t met, to proceed with renewed hopes or focus, still trusting God to bring fruit and value from the experience.  Don’t expect magic in praying for divine efficiency.  Seek it more as a spiritual discipline.  Practice.  Try, try again thoroughly, and as needed, try differently.  Through it all, trust God with the results, and ask him both for help and to show you how you are growing even if you don’t feel like you are being more productive.

Have faith

Another Kingdomtivity series addresses the role of faith in goal execution, including examining, planning, and executing your to-do list from a place of peace rather than concern.  When you approach your daily assignments from a state of peace, you often set up your efforts to be significantly more effective than if you had done it from a state of concern.  Divine efficiency is not about simply dissolving concerns by being optimally organized and productive.  It is instead an exercise in trusting God, the ultimate peace-maker, to help you start and continue onward in that state of peace.When we expect God, in his timing and through our faithful pursuit, to guide us towards something we believe He wants for us (or for others), we can decrease unhealthy expectations and more freely give God our best effort.  We practice and grow our faith.  Will he give you 36-hour days just so you can cram more in?  No.  Nonetheless, when you pray for divine efficiency, He’ll give you something good.  Recall the innate desire in most of mankind to bless their own children.  As God’s children, He longs to bless us as well!  Expect it, wait on Him, watch for Him to reveal what He wants to reveal, and then delight in it!“If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!” – Matthew 7:11