On God’s Time

 

As Christians, a beautiful part of our redemption is that God adopted us into His family. He made us His children and heirs to His Kingdom (Romans 8:17, Ephesians 1:3-6). God also chose us to fulfill an incredible assignment as ambassadors for that Kingdom. We not only belong to God, but we also represent Him to the world.

So we are Christ’s ambassadors; God is making his appeal through us. We speak for Christ when we plead, “Come back to God!” (2 Corinthians 5:20, NLT).

With the assignment of ambassador comes specific assignments that include where we live, who we marry, and what vocation we pursue. It’s all a part of God’s plan for our individual lives, as well as a part of God’s plan for our role as ambassadors on the earth.

We may be committed to God’s plan for our lives. We may honor our assignment as ambassadors on the earth through witnessing and serving in the church. We may have stayed in the will of God concerning marrying our spouse and pursuing the career God assigned us. But often we don’t consider God’s timing when it comes to the desires of our hearts—even when it’s within God’s will.

The God we represent enjoys giving us the desires of our hearts while we’re completing our assignment. As a generous Abba Father, He delights in blessing us (Psalm 35:27). But our desires must always support our ambassador calling. He will never lead us into something—no matter what a blessing it may seem—if it derails our call in life. That’s why the desires of our hearts should be committed to God while we delight in Him as our highest priority.

Delight yourself also in the Lord, and He shall give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord, trust also in Him, and He shall bring it to pass (Psalm 37:4-5, NKJV, italics added).

Committing our way also includes committing our timing. Whether we see it or not, even the timing in which we do something affects the plan of God. When the desires of our hearts are strong, we can often rush to make things happen, not in God’s timing but in ours. Or we stall because God’s plan of accomplishing His will seems too hard. We’d rather do it our way. However, if we want God’s favor on what we do, we must follow His way in His time.

 

Ahead of God’s Time

An example of being ahead of God’s timing is Abraham and Sarah—two elderly people who desperately wanted a son. In Genesis 12, God made Abraham a promise to make him great. Then, in Genesis 15, God made a covenant with Abraham, saying they would have a son, even though Sarah was barren. Unfortunately, Abraham’s wife Sarah chose to fulfill God’s promise her way by suggesting that Abraham have a child with her maid Hagar. Rather than believing God’s promise of conception through Sarah, Abraham heeded his wife’s words and had a child through Hagar. Sarah’s plan was faulty, however. It caused strife between Sarah and Hagar after the maid became pregnant, and the son Hagar conceived became the father of current-day Saudi Arabia, now enemies of Israel (Genesis 16, Genesis 17:2).

God’s promise fulfilled Abraham’s desire and fulfilled God’s plan for a great nation. But the way Abraham and Sarah tried to fulfill that promise themselves was outside of God’s plan and God’s timing. The result was a mess that only God could clean up.

Like Abraham and Sarah, it is never okay to step ahead of God. God in His mercy may pick up our broken pieces later if we repent. But we, along with many others, could suffer because of our lack of committing our way completely to Him.

 

Behind God’s Time

The nation that came from Abraham and Sarah’s union became a great nation, just like God promised. They became enslaved by Egypt, however, and needed deliverance. God miraculously freed them, but they stayed behind God’s timing when it came to entering the land once inhabited by their forefather Abraham. In Numbers 13, God instructed Moses to send twelve spies to check out the Promised Land. Ten of those spies brought back an evil report, crying that the giants and city walls were too great for them. Because of their rebellion and fear, God said they would not enter the land He promised—except for Joshua and Caleb and those twenty years old and younger (Numbers 14). What should have been a short trip out of Egypt turned into a forty-year trek through the wilderness (Joshua 5:6). This was nothing close to God’s original plan, but it was the plan the Israelites unwittingly chose.

Coming behind God’s plan and timing is costly. If we trail behind long enough, we may never see God’s plan, or our desires fulfilled. If we are stalling because of unbelief, disobedience, or even laziness, God cannot justly cause His promises to come true for us. Our actions reflect our attitude, telling God where our loyalties lie. We can, however, repent and get back on track. Though we may lose rewards and opportunities, God can still use us to fulfill His plan.

 

On God’s Time

The greatest example of God’s perfect timing was the birth and life of Jesus on the earth. From the beginning of Creation, God had a specific time for every event He designed. Though His original plan was for Adam and Eve to obey Him and live forever in the Garden of Eden, their disobedience altered that plan. But God, who is omniscient, knew it would happen and planned Jesus’ arrival and sacrifice on the earth before He ever created the world (1 Peter 1:20).

But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law… (Galatians 4:4, ESV).

In God’s perfect timing, Jesus came down from heaven and fulfilled hundreds of prophecies given hundreds of years before. But when it came to dying on the cross, He could have aborted His Father’s perfect plan. While praying in the Garden of Gethsemane, He prayed that God would change the plan: “O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me…” (Matthew 26:39a, NKJV). Jesus could have even prayed for angels to come to rescue Him (Matthew 26:53). But despite the emotional pressure of going through torture, Jesus submitted Himself to God’s plan: “…nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will” (Matthew 26:39).

As the sinless Lamb of God, Jesus was the only one who qualified to die on the cross for our sins. If it were not for His willingness to be our substitute on the cross, we would be eternally separated from God and bound for hell because of our sins. We are forever indebted to Jesus for His willingness to fulfill His assignment in God’s timing and in God’s way.

Like Jesus, God needs people who will stick to the plan and the timing behind that plan. God’s timing in all things is perfect, and it affects both the spiritual and the natural side of life. No matter our desires, our way should be committed to Him so He can bring it to pass in His way and in His time. No matter what, our cry should always be, “Your will be done” (Luke 11:2).

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths (Proverbs 3:5-6, NKJV, italics added).