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

          

The Blessing of Waiting

"So the LORD must wait for you to come to him

so he can show you his love and compassion.

For the LORD is a faithful God.

Blessed are those who wait for his help."
Isaiah 30:18 NLT

It's hard to wait.  I want to get on with my life, leave this time of suffering and hardship.  I want to see my loved one come to faith in Christ and taste the abundance of life He offers.  I want to be free from this wretched body of death.  I'm tempted to turn to other sources to find relief, to try different tactics to persuade, to up my effort in order to do better.  But there is a blessing for those who wait for His help.

Gracious.  One man should not have so much power, but he did.  And it corrupted him.  He sadistically presented the woman with two choices upon entrance into the Auschwitz concentration camp in Nazi Germany.  She was forced to decide which of her two children would survive and live within the camp, and which would immediately be killed in the gas chambers.  Sophie's choice was a decision no mother should ever have to make, but one the god of Auschwitz presented to her.  

Such manipulation by one in a position of power turns the stomach.  While God, the maker of heaven and earth could be such a god, He is not.  He does not play games nor is He is a bully God.  He does not manipulate or bribe His image bearers to come to Him.  He does not put mankind in impossible situations just to watch them squirm.  Instead, He offers life through faith in His Son Jesus Christ and what He did on the cross in dying as a sin offering.  Either I take it, or I leave it.

When I take Him up on His offer of life, I discover how rich in character He is.  He shows love and compassion to those who come to Him for help, willingly choosing Him over a myriad of options for finding fulfillment and contentment, peace and love, freedom from guilt and shame.  Within this sacred relationship, I am still given the choice of how I operate.  I can walk with my natural flesh and thus produce spoiled fruit, or I can keep in step with God's indwelling Spirit as the evidence of this cooperation makes itself known in ways I don't always notice (Galatians 5:13-23). 

When I long for intimate companionship with my Father through faith in Jesus Christ, I receive the blessing of His abundant grace made manifest in my life.

Faithful.  This ability to choose extends to all areas of my walk with Christ.  No matter how hard it is for me to trust another, I soon learn that God is faithful and can be trusted.  He gives me ample opportunity to see His faithfulness at work as He fulfills promise after promise, never letting me down and always doing as He said He would.  He never leaves me nor does He turn His back on me out of disgust are impatience with my hardheadedness.  

When I take His faithfulness to heart, I can take the chance to rest fully in Him, which is really no risk at all (Psalm 86:15).  There is no possibility that He might change His mind, or forget what He said He'd do, or lose track of time and leave me hanging (Numbers 23:19).  Instead, He is a God who can always be counted on to love me consistently, to keep His Word, to protect me from evil (Deuteronomy 7:9, 2 Thessalonians 3:3).   My part is to place my faith in Him who is faithful.

When I wait on Him as my sole source of all I need, I receive the blessing of His faithfulness made manifest in my life.

Sovereign.  If I had my way, everything would come about immediately, exactly when I want it. There would be no need to wait because anytime would be the right time.  Why wait until tomorrow when today is the perfect time?  But today is not always the perfect time.  I only see my part, while God sees the big picture.  He takes all the pieces of the puzzle into account, knowing which must come forth at which time.  He understands how long it may take for one heart to change, why others are reluctant to submit, what kind of crisis will bring some to their knees (2 Peter 3:9,15).  He knows.

When I trust in His sovereign power, in His knowledge of how all the pieces fit together, of His control of the timing, I have the privilege of seeing His best come to fruition.  Instead of settling for what I want now, whether it be relief from suffering or seeing my loved one come to faith in Christ, I am desiring His best over my inferior, His perfect over my deficient, His cream of the crop over my leftovers.

When I wait on His perfect timing, I receive the blessing of His sovereign power made manifest in my life.

I admit that I don't like to wait and often am guilty of taking matters into my own hands.  When I do wait on God, however, longing for His help and intimacy, I receive something I could never otherwise taste.  I discover the gracious grace upon which I count, His faithfulness that holds me up, and His sovereign power that brings it all together in just the right time.  These are some of the blessings I discover when I wait on Him.

As I begin this day it is my prayer that I can trust God enough to wait on His timing.

When do I try to force things to happen?

How am I failing to trust God fully?