“Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord!”
- Psalm 27:14
Have you ever felt like God was taking forever?
Forgot about you?
Or was doing things completely out of order?
What if I told you that God’s timing is impeccable. In Fact, He never misses a beat, He does everything on time and according to His perfect will. Although it may seem like His timing is inconvenient or random at times; He knows exactly what He's doing.
This is something that I've had to learn in my own life, and I‘m still gaining knowledge and experience about it in my current season. It can be very difficult to trust God because we don't always understand what's going on. Nor do we always see the bigger picture. But I'm confident that God works all things together for our good and His timing is superior to ours.
Here are some of my favorite examples of just how unique, yet impeccable God’s timing is.
Lazarus - God is never late.
Lazarus was a good friend of Jesus, however when Jesus heard the news that Lazarus was sick, He didn't rush to see him, instead, He stayed right where He was for an additional 2 days. He intentionally took His time and waited for the right moment to go and see Lazarus. Some would say that the perfect time for Jesus to see Lazarus would've been right when He got the news, however, He had His own methods. The first thing that Lazarus's sisters said to Jesus when He finally arrived was “Jesus if you had been here earlier our brother would not have died”. They both felt as if Jesus was late and had missed His opportunity to heal Lazarus; they also bought the lie that death was the end for their brother. However Jesus didn't wait to see Lazarus because He hated him, in fact, the word tells us that Jesus wept; because He felt pain from the situation, He too loved Lazarus. He waited because the timing had to be just right. Whenever Jesus arrived He wasn't nervous, afraid, or apologetic, He got there right when He needed to. It might’ve appeared as if He was late because Lazarus had already died, but Jesus was right on time.
You see, God has His own clock, He doesn't follow the same times and seasons that we do, because He is GOD, and He is much bigger than our concept of time. He doesn't need to show up within our time frame or before our deadlines, because He is more than capable of showing up “late” and doing things perfectly. So don't look around at your environment and get weary because it seems as if it's too late, as long as God steps on the scene it doesn't matter what your situation looks like. Nothing is impossible for Him, it's never too late for God to work! It's also obvious from the text that Jesus wasn't pressured by their urgency because He knew that He would arrive in His perfect timing and everything would be just fine.
Also, keep in mind that Lazarus had been dead for four days! Biologically, decomposition had already taken place. So his internal organs had already decomposed, bloating had already taken place, some bodily liquid had already leaked from his body, and imagine the smell that propelled from his rotten flesh! However Jesus did not only raise Lazarus from the dead, But He also reversed the entire decomposition process as if Lazarus had never died. Lazarus didn't come from his tomb looking like death or even smelling like death. He probably looked refreshed like a brand new man. Whenever God works, He goes all out and does things with excellence. He also leaves things better than how He found them. Although Jesus showed up at a later time, He moved with power and authority. So the timing wasn't an issue in the end, just a detail in the story. Never underestimate the power of God simply because His timing doesn't match up with yours. Jesus could have healed Lazarus from his sickness, but raising him from the dead was the plan all along! God allowed Lazarus to die just so that he could resurrect! Goes to show that God is never late. We just have to be willing to wait for His timing, because He is intentional about every second, minute, and hour that exist on this planet.
Noami - God can redeem time.
Noami had her whole life set in front of her then “poof” she seemingly had nothing. Everything changed dramatically. Her husband and both of her sons died, as a result, she had no choice but to return to her homeland and start over. However she wasn't returning home with joy, she was just trying to escape tragedy. She labeled herself according to her situation which meant that she gave up hope. She even changed her name to “Mara” which means bitter. She could no longer envision a good future for her life and she didn't know what she would do next. She probably felt like she was starting over because she had lost everything. However, God turned it all around for her.
1. When Noami and her husband had left Bethlehem many years before her return, there had been a famine, however, whenever she returned with Ruth it was harvest season. The very place that she had left due to famine, was the very place that she found harvest. God led her back to a land of abundance and overflow. Although it seemed as if she was going back to square one, it was actually a new beginning.
2. Ruth met Boaz while she was in the field (collecting harvest), she then married him which redeemed Naomi's family name and supplied her with significant provision.
3. Naomi became a grandmother and her youth was restored! After both of her children died, Naomi probably thought that she would never become a grandmother. But God made it happen for her.
4. God changed her reputation, she went from bitter Mara to blessed Naomi! She ended up more blessed than she had been before. Those around her saw just how blessed she was. God also stitched her into the lineage of Jesus! Talk about legacy right!
God didn't forget about Naomi, He preserved her for greater glory: even when her family died off God kept her alive because her story was far from over. God had more for her and He definitely didn't leave her wanting. She got all that she wanted and more, however, God brought it in an unexpected way, at an unexpected time, through unexpected people, in an unexpected place. Although it looked as if tragedy had defeated her. She was in the right place at the right time. God knew exactly what He was doing and He aligned everything so that He could move miraculously. God specializes in hopeless situations and He set everything up behind the scenes. Every single event that occurred for Naomi in the book of Ruth would have taken years! But God accelerated the entire process! He broke through every wall and crushed every barrier possible just to give her a life worth dreaming of. God blessed her so much and made her heartbreaking past powerless, and her testimony powerful!
If you feel like you've lost time, remember that God can redeem every single moment that you've felt pain, hurt, or sorrow. For every single moment that you've lost, God has many amazing moments in store that will simply take your breath away; and make you forget all about your past.
Jesus Heals a blind man - God is intentional about His timing.
As Jesus was moving through the streets ministering to those around Him, He saw a man that had been blind since birth. His disciples begin to ask Him (Jesus) questions about why the man had been born blind. They assumed that he was blind due to the sins of his father. However, Jesus stated that “Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him…”. It was very evident at that moment that God allowed that man to be born without sight so that those around him could see the power of God. So Jesus proceeded to do a miracle, He spat on the ground and created mud, then He applied the mixture to the blind man’s eyes. After washing His eyes the man was completely healed. His neighbors saw him and realized that he had been healed as well. The formerly blind man began to tell people that a man named Jesus had healed him and just like that, the gospel was spread through him. I bet when the man was younger his parents mourned about his blindness, and as he grew he suffered due to his lack of sight. However, at the right time, a man named Jesus saved him and set him free. God did not cast him aside, he set him apart so that he could do a great miracle that would not only change that man's life but transform his story. The man was able to be a messenger for Christ, and be a living testimony of God’s grace, mercy, and power. Although the Bible never mentions the man again, and his whereabouts after John chapter 9 are unclear. One thing is clear: God's timing isn't meant to be understood but it should be honored. We don't always understand why certain circumstances must exist or why specific situations must occur, but God's timing is bigger than the things that we experience. Although it was sad that the man had been born blind, isn't it glorious that he was touched by Jesus and healed! His healing may have appeared to be delayed and may have even triggered some questions. But God be praised because He performed the miracle right on time.
So maybe you haven't experienced what these biblical characters went through, but I’m pretty sure that you've had to rely on God’s timing before. As tough as it is to fully grasp how God’s timing works, always keep in mind that God has your best interest in mind. He has promised you a hope and future, and He is ALWAYS working behind the scenes. He is never early, late, or absent, God is always on time. Trust me, His timing is truly impeccable.
STAY INSPIRED!
