It is the most difficult thing even for most Christians to do – wait on God’s timing for getting things done in their lives. We live in a world that is so fast paced in everything, that we expect the same from God Himself. All we do is use an email to send a message in an instant and receive results. God has a much slower way of doing things. His time frame is slower and wider. When we try to force ourselves away from God’s timing, we risk the chance of living His divine destiny for us. All of us have a definite calling even if we are not Christians. When we go against His timing, we will lose ourselves sometimes for all time. Following are a few illustrations of what happens when we side step God’s timing…
• How often have we got married to the wrong person just because we could not wait for the time God has chosen a particular life partner for us? He is an all knowing God. He sets and manipulates people to their destinies depending on their obedience to His Word. Maybe He was setting a woman for us. We in our haste and ignorance chose to disregard His timing and landed ourselves in a mess. This is the reason for most unhappy marriages. When we go by God’s timing to wed, half our work is already over. The rest just follows as cause and effect to our obedience to Him and His Word.
• A friend of mine could not wait on God’s timing to promote him in his company. Instead he rebelled and left the company in a hurry. Till date he has never been happy anywhere in his occupation.
As we can see His timing is everything to work perfectly right. Here are a few scriptures from God’s Word in the Bible that reminds us about God’s timing.
“And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart.” (Galatians 6:9)
“Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.” (1 Peter 5: 6-7)
“The Lord is good to those who wait for Him, to the soul who seeks Him. It is good that one should hope and wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord.” (Lamentations 3:25-26)
“I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in His word I do hope. My soul waits for the Lord more than those who watch for the morning …” (Psalm 130:5-6)
“Truly my soul silently waits for God; from Him comes my salvation; He is my defense; I shall not be greatly moved … My soul, wait silently for God alone, for my expectation is from Him. He only is my rock and my salvation; He is my defense; I shall not be moved.” (Psalm 62:1-2, 5-6)
“And now, Lord, what do I wait for? My hope is in You. Deliver me from all my transgressions …(Psalm 39:7-8)
“I waited patiently for the Lord; and He inclined to me, and heard my cry. He also brought me up out of a horrible pit, out of miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my steps.” (Psalm 40:1-2)
“Wait on the Lord, and keep His way, and He shall exalt you to inherit the land …. ” (Psalm 37:34)
We can see in the above verses that God has set a time frame for everything. Even Jesus had to wait for 30 years before He began His ministry that changed the world by defeating Satan. God sent the Holy Spirit to descend on Jesus only at 30. Didn’t we see that the Israelite slaves had to wait for 430 yrs before God delivered them through Moses? Noah had to wait for 120 years after building the Ark before the flood waters came and drowned the Earth. The disciples of Jesus had to wait for ten days after Jesus had gone to Heaven to receive the Holy Spirit.
God has to test our faith before He can trust us to do His Will for us. As my pastor Kenneth Copeland repeats so often, “Get in your place by His grace.” The problem is His grace comes only by His timing, not ours. When we learn to wait for His timing, we will fulfil His destiny for us.
By praying at all times and by waiting patiently for Him to show up should be our answer to arrive at His timing.
Bible commentator: Sunder Venkataram (Thane)
