Finding God's Timing

By:  D. Markins

Have you taken a moment lately to look at life as it is and consider some possibilities of how it could be. It’s easy to put this off and wait until later…but sometimes it seems that much of our life is spent waiting.

In a small sense we wait in line for a vanilla latte, we wait for our car to fill up with gas, we wait for the cable guy to show up (between 8 and 12…ha! usually it’s 2:10). In a bigger sense we wait to meet the man of our dreams, we wait nine months for our baby to be born, we wait for a job promotion or a pay increase. Waiting is a fact of life on earth.

But are you looking at your own life and evaluating how much time you’ve spent waiting? Have you waited (maybe too long?) to make a change, chart a new course or accept an unchangeable situation.

I waited a long time to make a serious commitment to writing and speaking. What held me back? As with each of us, my answers aren’t simple. I was raising children, working at having a good marriage and helping our business grow. Those are valid reasons; but in complete honesty I held back because of fear and lack of mentorship. When I finally broke through the fear and dove in, God was there to meet me and encourage my progress.

“But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles,” says Isaiah 40:31

The opposite is true as well. Sometimes we jump in and take action without spending much time or thought on the process or likely results. Have you ever tried to “fix” a situation instead of allowing God or others to take care of it? Acting too quickly can lead to comedic and sometimes tragic results.

Too many times to mention I’ve confronted people about things I believed were unfair or done poorly, just to find that they had good reasons for their actions or had already remedied the situation. Boy do I hate to go after someone with a full head of steam only to learn that my issue is obsolete or invalid. Alexander Pope said, “Fools rush in where angels fear to tread.” I’m guessing he knew that angels are much wiser than we humans can be.

In either case there is an antidote and a way to prevent a repeat. Check in with the Lord. A LOT! Talk to Him, read His word and get confirming wisdom from a spiritually mature friend. It would look something like this:

“Father, I really hate my job but am grateful to have it. Thank you for provision. Please bring me clarity about when/if I should take any action to change my circumstance.”

Then consider why God may have you there and the possibilities of making a change.

Find a Believing buddy and ask for his/her prayers, insight and encouragement.

Read in your Bible about people who’ve waited on the Lord and others who’ve taken obedient action. (Jesus has done both.)

Psalms 138:8 says, “The Lord will fulfill His purpose for me; your love O Lord, endures forever.”

His timeline is frequently much different than ours. When we wait on God’s timing, then take deliberate action, the outcome is likely to be refreshment and contentment.

I hope your life is filled with intentional waiting while God strengthens you, then fruit-bearing action when the time is right for you to soar like an eagle.