Timing Is Everything
Timing…it’s an important factor in many things. Getting ahead of the perfect timing of things can be disastrous and, in some cases, deadly. In our life with God, it can be just as important. With God EVERYTHING is about timing.
We understand a child takes nine months to fully develop and be ready for the world outside of the womb. If they come early, they can struggle in different ways and need some time in the NICU before being able to come home with their new parents. If a few weeks early, not as big a deal as a few months early; resulting in more severe challenges, if not death.
A caterpillar, at the right time, forms a chrysalis and undergoes the process to change into a butterfly. It takes time and struggle to do that. Time is needed for the change and time in the struggle for its wings to develop to be able to fly. If we would try to help it emerge, it would die. Time and struggle work together to accomplish the process.
God gave Abraham the promise of a son. When that son didn’t arrive soon enough for he and Sarah, they took matters into their own hands, birthing something illegitimate and out of time. God had a specific time for Isaac to be born. We can’t rush God, but we can birth our own Ishmaels which come with their own set of difficulties.
In John 7 a Jewish festival was approaching. Jesus brothers wanted him to go to this festival with them so the people there could see his miracles. In verse 6 Jesus states, “Now is not the right time for me to go, but you can go anytime.” Jesus understood the importance of being in God’s timing. Verse 30 tells us the Jewish leaders wanted to arrest Jesus…” but no one laid a hand on him, because his time had not yet come.” “When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners.”. Romans 5:6.
When we get a promise from God we often think it’s “soon”. It’s so easy to put our own timestamp on a promise only to get disappointed when that date comes and goes. We can get hellbent on making it happen and really get ourselves in trouble! It’s hard to wait, especially when we think we are ready now! Our soon and God’s soon are NEVER the same thing!
Why? Why does God seemingly make us wait? There are several factors that we often don’t take into consideration…
1. Sometimes other people who will need to be in the equation are not ready. It’s not just about us. All the players need to arrive on the field at the right time to play the game so to speak.
2. We feel called to do a certain thing but may not even know where to start. We need time to mature, to pray and see what are the next steps to take, get some inner healing or schooling we need to fulfill that task.
3. Often God calls us but THEN begins to prepare us for that calling. In the in-between he tests us, much like the children of Israel. They needed a wilderness to prove them and get Egypt out of their hearts before they could inherit what God had promised. Sadly, all but two couldn’t make the transition. It’s up to us if we can do what God requires of us.
4. Maybe it’s as simple as learning some patience. God is all about us learning to walk in the Fruit of the Spirit. We glorify him by displaying his characteristics to the world around us.
If you are like me, you don’t like to wait either. Ugh. It’s not my favorite at all. Really, who wants to wait…for anything. We live in a microwave society. We want what we want and we want it now. Sometimes we are even willing to compromise along the way just so we do not have to wait. My favorite phrase is “Christianity is all about getting the me out of “me”. Nothing about our Christian walk is about what we want, think or feel. It’s about what does God need from us or want us to do for him.
Laying aside our own wills and learning to submit to the Father in all things is not an easy task. Like the caterpillar it takes a death to what we were, learning to submit to what God would have us to be. I believe the Body of Christ is in this season. He’s calling us out of the winepress (hiding inside the walls of the Church) and into the world to make a difference.
He is offering us the strength and the courage to accomplish this if we will be willing. He’s giving the Body a second wind for these days ahead. He’s sending a surge-a strong wave like, forward movement to propel us into some of the greatest days the Body has ever known. We must take the limits off of God and let him do what he has planned from the beginning of time…a great awakening is upon us. We must be ready to dive in and see history made.