‘A Vat full of Wait’ is a chapter in the book Crushing, that sheds light on the fact that waiting is far more beneficial because the Lord was working on something marvellous in a secret place.
Waiting is one tough word in the Christian parlance. It seems everyone has naturally gone through waiting at one point or the other, yet not everyone can audaciously boast of the pleasure of waiting.
Apparently, waiting brings out a sweetness that squarely opposes its process, which is often ‘bitter.’
There was no way God was going to present to the world an unrefined, unfermented, underdeveloped product.
While we wait, we struggle to hope as we brace for what we expect to be the next infliction of pain upon our psyche.
This chapter considers the way crushing levels us with what we may feel like a quake deep within our souls, and relates it with the word ‘aftershock,’ which aptly describes our emotional state after experiencing the trauma of being crushed.
In the analogy of the Vintner and the vat, our emotion amid the process of waiting is often excruciating. But to the Vintner, we are the one that hold value.
Jesus Himself showed us the supreme example of this fermentation process. The transformation process from death back to life occurred in the darkness of the tomb.
For those who know the Lord, our survival is not limited to our own ability. Our survival relies on our ability to surrender. We begin to recognise the in-between moment of time is transitory and transitional.
This chapter further explained that winemaking is basically done in three steps: crushing the grapes, allowing the juice to ferment, and collecting the wine.
After the grapes are crushed, the vintner in Jewish antiquity would allow the grapes and their juices to remain in their vats and ferment in the open air.
As God works within us, we all throw off noxious material. We are being refined for greater purpose than anyone can imagine or understand
To many of us rush to get to the end of the process, trying to tell God that we are ready for what He has for us when we’ve not even fully understood the gifting He has placed in us.
During fermentation we must practice patience and trust His perfect knowledge of the time required for us to reach maximum potency and flavour.
Waiting is a trying phase that we must endure in order for God to bring out the best in us. Waiting is ultimately for our own good, and the more we are able to spend the appropriate time in the place of waiting the more value we are able to deliver to our world.
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