Everything we do is based on time. Even if you don’t consider yourself a creature of habit, your daily existence relies on a schedule. While we know how our timeframes work, it’s important to understand that God’s timing doesn’t work in the same way that ours does. Today, let’s look to Scripture at examples of God’s perfect timing so we can better understand what it means to embrace God’s perfect timing and His plan for your life.
Psalm 18:30-31 (NLT)
God’s way is perfect. All the Lord’s promises prove true. He is a shield for all who look to him for protection. For who is God except the Lord? Who but our God is a solid rock?
Everything we do is based on a schedule. You probably wake up at the same time every day and go about a morning routine. That routine helps you ensure that you get to work or school on time. During the course of your day, you continue to look to the clock to let you know what you need to be doing and when you need to start on the next task in front of you. In our world, timing is everything.
One of the most incredible aspects of our God is the fact that He is not bound by our concept of time. While you may think about what your life is going to look like one week, one month, or even a year from now, God is not bound by those same schedules.
While that’s an incredible trait that can only be attributed to God, it also often leaves us waiting and wondering when things in our lives are going to turn around the way that we want them to. One of the most important yet difficult aspects of trusting God is found in trusting His timing.
After all, we view God as a loving Father, and why would a loving Father make us wait for anything? If God truly loves us, shouldn’t He want to give us everything we want and need exactly when we ask for it? On the surface, that seems like a logical thought pattern, but it’s simply not accurate. This is when we must remember what David wrote in Psalm 18 about God’s way being “perfect.”
If you have children, you know how much you love them. The Bible teaches us that God loves us even more than we can love our own children. However, if your 12-year-old came and asked you for a brand-new car, would you buy it for them? Of course not! Why? Because you know that they aren’t in a position to be able to handle a gift of that magnitude. Your knowledge allows you to determine that they shouldn’t receive what they’re asking for when they ask for it.
Today, let’s look at some examples of people in the Bible who had to wait for God to do what they were asking Him to do. Their subjection to God’s perfect timing allows us to see that the waiting is always worth it.
Mary, Martha, and Lazarus
John 11:5-6 (ESV)
Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. So, when he heard that Lazarus was ill, he stayed two days longer in the place where he was.
Mary and Martha had sent word to Jesus that his friend (their brother), Lazarus was sick and getting sicker. We would assume that Christ would immediately respond to their request, but instead, He chose to wait. Contained within these two verses is the answer to the question we ask when we have to wait on God. “Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus, so when he heard that Lazarus was ill, he stayed two days longer in the place where he was.” Jesus loved them, so He waited.
Doesn’t that seem like a direct contradiction of what a loving Jesus would do? If He loved them, shouldn’t He have supernaturally transported Himself to Bethany so He could heal His friend? The answer is no.
Jesus, who was fully God while also being fully human knew that Lazarus was going to die. It was all part of the plan because Jesus wanted His friends to see something that they wouldn’t be able to see otherwise: a resurrection. The same Christ who knew that Lazarus was going to die knew that He was going to bring Lazarus back to life.
There are times in our lives where we have to wait because God knows that He is going to do something even better. Jesus could have healed Lazarus but raising Him from the dead was an even grander display of His love and His power. If you’re waiting on God and wondering why He isn’t doing something, consider the fact that He has something better for you.
David
2 Samuel 5:3-4 (ESV)
So all the elders of Israel came to the king at Hebron, and King David made a covenant with them at Hebron before ethe Lord, and they anointed David king over Israel. David was thirty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned forty years.
David’s life is one of the most detailed lives discussed in Scripture. While the verses that we just read discuss his official coronation as King of Israel, the first time we meet David, he was being anointed by Samuel as the man who would replace Saul. The problem was that Saul was still the king. However, his disobedience had led to God rejecting him and looking for a replacement. History teaches us that David was around 15 when Samuel anointed him.
That means that David had to wait 15 years between when God told him he was going to be king and when he actually got to sit on the throne. Those 15 years weren’t easy. In fact, they were filled with adversity. Shortly after he was anointed, David fought Goliath and killed the giant. Once that happened, Saul grew jealous of David and spent years trying to kill him. He knew that David was going to take his position, and he wanted David dead. For 15 years David waited, ran, and fought.
Why didn’t God go ahead and put David on the throne on the day that Samuel anointed him? Because God knew that 15-year-old David wasn’t ready for the position that 30-year-old David attained.
Sometimes our times of waiting are the result of our own inability to handle what we’re waiting on God to do. We don’t like to admit that we’re not ready, but since God’s ways are perfect, we must acknowledge that He knows what we can handle and when we can handle it.
What to Do While Waiting
Micah 7:7 (ESV)
But as for me, I will look to the Lord; I will wait for the God of my salvation; my God will hear me.
When we’re waiting on God’s perfect timing, it’s easy to wonder what we’re supposed to be doing. After all, can we truly experience joy while we’re waiting? Of course, we can.
One of the most important aspects of waiting is found in remaining faithful. For example, during the 15 years that David waited to become king, he spent at least a portion of that time continuing to shepherd his father’s sheep. When he went to fight Goliath, the Bible teaches us that he left his sheep with a keeper.
In addition to remaining faithful, we must remain connected to God. There are four simple ways to go about maintaining our connection to our Lord. The first is through prayer. Micah declared that while he was waiting, God would hear him. He hears us, as well. We should also continue to read and study His Word so He can speak to us. Also, continue to worship. Worship at church, worship at home, worship in your car. Finally, stay connected with other believers who can encourage you during your time of waiting.
A Closing Prayer:
Heavenly Father, help me to wait on Your perfect timing. I know that You love me, and there are times where that love motivates You to make me wait. If I’m not capable of handling what I’m praying for, show me ways that I can prepare myself. In Christ’s name, Amen.