It's a Matter of Timing

"There is a time for everything,

and a season for every activity under the heavens."

Ecclesiastes 3:1

Death.  Change.  Speaking up.  Keeping silent.  Agony of the heart.  Healing and wholeness.  Ending relationships.  Forming bonds.  Lamentation.  Rejoicing.  Generosity.  Wise stewardship.  Supporting.  Letting go.  Entering the battle.  Keeping the peace.  Loving.  Hating.  

Life is filled with all kinds of activities, choices and opportunities.  In fact, it's not whether something or another will happen in life, rather, it's a matter of when it will occur.  How do I know if the time is right?  When do I resist and when do I give in?  What's appropriate?  

It depends; not on me, but on God.  Timing is His, and His is perfect.

Wait.  Most Americans are proactive, wanting to nip issues in the bud before they become too big to handle.  As a culture, we like to keep busy, thinking that the more we do, the more important and meaningful are our lives.  We are also big on taking the bull by the horns and getting things done.  No sense waiting around.  It's better to do something, anything, rather than delaying action, sitting around waiting for something to happen.  We think we must make our own opportunities, create our own destinies, fulfill our own plans in order to taste success.

God has a different outlook.  He created all things to operate in a different manner.  He designed the earth and all that is in it to be directed by Himself.  When I wait on His cues, depending not on my own sense of timing but on His, I find myself going in a different direction and at a different pace than I'd choose for myself, sitting out from many of the activities I would normally wear myself out doing, and slowing down so that I can actually enjoy each moment He's given to me.  Instead of bearing the responsibility of coming up with my own plans and figuring out how to pull them off, I can rest in what He's already accomplished, trusting Him to lead me where He wants me to go, when He wants me to begin (Isaiah 40:31).  His way is always better than mine.

When I wait on God's lead, I'm demonstrating my faith in Him as the One who sees the big picture and holds all the pieces in His hands.

Run.  I've always heard I must learn to walk before I can run.  There is a progression of sorts.  Once I become proficient at the easy stuff, I can move on to the more difficult.  When I try to apply this approach to my faith, however, I find it doesn't always line up to God's way of doing things.  He calls me to run my race, exerting myself, striving hard, no matter how far along I am.  This is not a wimpy proposition, this faith walk.  Instead, its a test of endurance and takes a feat of strength that comes from God's never-ending provision.  

God has marked out a specific course for me to follow so that I compete not against others but only to do my best for His glory.  The path He has specified for me to follow is different than the course designed for those around me.  I have a unique race to run which necessitates that I focus my attentions on Jesus as the One who initiated my faith in the first place and who is in charge of bringing it to completion when He returns again (Philippians 1:6, Hebrews 12:1-2).  As I do, I will find that I can trust Him to equip me as I go, proving that He has perfectly prepared me for every good work as I set myself aside for His use (2 Timothy 2:21).

I can run my own race with confidence, trusting God to ready me for whatever He has planned for me.

Beauty.  I love to watch butterflies fluttering around our flower garden.  As they dip and soar in a haphazard pattern, I often think of their humble beginnings as a caterpillar.  When they enter their cocoon to begin their transformation into such a beautiful winged creature, there is nothing I can do to speed up this process.  Even though I may want to hurry it along, helping the new creature emerge from it's silky covering so it can fly free among the blooms, I would kill it by doing so.  The delicate creature can only reveal it's beauty at just the right time.

It's the same with life.  The good, excellent and appropriate things I long to see manifested in my own life or in the lives of those I love will only come about at the proper time, and it is different for each of us (Ecclesiastes 3:11).  Some are late bloomers while others blossom quicker.  This beauty cannot be forced in the same way the emergence of a butterfly cannot be hurried along.  Instead, God must be allowed to fulfill His own purposes in His own time, not in mine. And it's important to note that He does not need my help to do so (Acts 17:24-25, Ecclesiastes 3:14). 

Allowing God to have free reign to bring about the beauty He has planned for each of His children releases me of that responsibility.

I face a variety of happenings in this life and it's often hard to know when the time is right.  While I think I'd rather be the one in charge of the timetable, God holds this responsibility.  As I trust Him, I find I can wait on His lead, confidently run my own race with gusto, and allow Him to bring about the beauty for which I long.  As I trust God more each day, I realize making the right choice at the right time is not so much about common sense or smarts.  Instead, It's a matter of waiting for His timing.

As I begin this day it is my prayer that I can trust God to orchestrate my life.

When do I insist on getting my own way?

How am I trusting more in my sense of timing than in God's?


Originally published on June 22, 2015