There is an occasion for everything, and a time for every activity under heaven:     Ecclesiastes 3:1 HCSB

 

God’s timing is often far different from our own.  We live in a world where we want fast transportation, fast internet, fast food. We are in a hurry.  I thought that once I retired, that would change, but often times I am still in a hurry.

There are some things that I need done and I need them done yesterday.  But then there are other things that I wish would just slow down.  I wish that the progression of my mom’s dementia had gone much slower.  I wish that my nieces and nephews weren’t growing up at such an alarming rate.  It seems like just yesterday that my 15 year old niece was 12.  It seems like just a day or two ago that my 7 year old niece was 2.  Just the other day she asked me to remove the back from her “big girl” car seat.  She said that at 7, she should be in a booster seat with no back.  I explained to her that I feel much safer with her having a full car seat. I went on to ask her why she was in such a hurry to grow up.  I told her that she was just 2 a few days ago.  She politely explained to me that she was not 2 yesterday or the day before that or the day before that.  She told me that that was 5 years ago and now she is almost 8.  So even with things we don’t want to rush, time seems to move at an alarming rate.

God’s timing is perfect timing. We are told in 2 Peter 3:8 that with the Lord a day is like a thousand years and a thousand years is like a day. So, when you have questions like how long will God allow evil people to continue to be evil? Or, how long will God allow good people to suffer? Or, when will God bring us home? Well, you’ll have to wait for these answers.  Matthew 24:36 tells us that concerning the day and hour that Jesus will come back for us that no one knows-neither the angels in heaven, nor the Son-only God, the Father.

The question I have for you this morning is what will you do while you wait? I used to not be very good at waiting.  I don’t know how good I am at it now, but I have to think I’m much better than I used to be.  Since I have retired, I have spent nights in the hospital with my baby niece waiting for her to calm down and get some sleep or for her to quit crying. Yes, that is the now 7 year old. I spent time waiting with my dad at the hospital, then at the rehab and later the dialysis clinic. I now spend time sitting with my mom.  You might think all this has made me more patient, but I’m not so sure. I’ve just started bringing things to keep me busy while I wait.

So what is keeping you busy while you wait?  Are you spending your time fulfilling every desire of the flesh and thinking that you have plenty of time to get your business straight with God later? Are you working diligently at pleasing God and honoring him in your daily life? How will you spend the time while you wait?

Perhaps you are waiting for your enemy to get what is coming to him, how will you spend that time?  I learned several years ago that the more I spent that time in prayer for my enemy and asking God to remove all bitterness and anger from my heart that the more God handled the situation with my enemy, the more God shielded me from any flaming arrows that my enemy might shoot my way, and the more God blessed me.  In due time, which I will admit was much longer than I had hoped, God brought me through.

When the Israelites fled from Egypt, it should have been a 14 day journey.  Instead, it took them 40 years.  Why? Because they just couldn’t keep it straight.  They had this self destructive pattern going on. They would praise the Lord, they would grumble and find fault, they would worship idols, they would be punished, they would repent and praise the Lord and then they would repeat this pattern all over again.  This caused a 14 day journey to take 40 years. But they eventually reached the Promised Land.  The key word here is promised. God promised that they would be given this awesome land flowing with milk and honey.  Now, unfortunately many of the older generation passed away before getting there due to disobedience, but God kept his promise and the younger generation was able to enter the Promised Land.  God keeps his promises, but we don’t always understand his timing.

If you are waiting for God to do something for you, ask yourself this question.  Are you doing anything that might be causing the delay?  In the trial that I went through a few years ago, I had a pattern similar to the Israelites.  I would give it all to God one day and I would see God working, then I would try to grab it back a few days later thinking I could get it done faster. But when I gave it all over to God, I began to see that His timing is perfect.

So, yes, you may have to wait, but spend the time waiting wisely.  Spend that time in fellowship with your Lord and Savior.  Spend that time tucked safely in the refuge of His loving arms. Most importantly, spend that time praising Him and worshiping Him, let Him know that you trust His timing.

Have a great day!