Oh timing, you are a word I love to hate. Seeing as I am a somewhat impatient person myself, timing generally influences my attitude on any given day. I tend to be a “type A” personality, so I like to make sure things run smoothly and according to plan. Anyone that’s ever lived knows that things don’t always go the way we expect. So why do I find myself always trying to control a situation?
What’s interesting about timing is it can apply to so many different things:
- Music
- Business meetings
- Rehearsals
- Dreams
- Dropping your kid off at daycare
- Seasons
- Getting a perfectly crisp edge on your brownies
The list goes on and on! Timing is influential in nearly everything we do, which is more than likely why we tend to want to make everything happen when WE want it to happen. The problem with that, however, is that time is outside of our hands. Sure, we may be the ones who set the timer on the oven, but the rising chocolate batter and the internal temp of the oven tell us when it’s time to take it out (can you tell I want a brownie?). In order to make that brownie perfect, we must first prepare the ingredients, pre-heat the oven, grease the pan, place it in the oven and then… wait. We patiently wait. No matter how much we want the brownie, it’s not done until it’s done.
I use the example of the brownie light heartedly, but truth be told, the same thought process can be applied to our biggest hopes and dreams. God plants desires within our heart and He promises us to develop us for His good. We have dreams, we set goals, we work really hard, and then we wait.
Most of the time, it is within the waiting where our character develops. God did not design “seasons” to last a day. They last weeks, months, or sometimes even years. However, His faithfulness and His grace is given freely to us, no matter how difficult the waiting.
Maybe you are waiting for a promotion. Maybe you are waiting for those two little lines to tell you that you are pregnant. Maybe it’s for a new house, for your career to take flight, or simply for the light at the end of a very dark tunnel. Whatever you are waiting for, I can assure you that when we wait in Him, we will reap the biggest harvest.
I can’t tell you how many times I have tried to rush a season. It always ends up with me frustrated and hurting. A wonderful friend in my life shared a devotional with me recently that said no matter how much we want to rush a season, it never changes until God or the calendar says it’s time. Let’s take Fall for example. I love to decorate well before the autumnal equinox strikes. That being said, it doesn’t matter how early I decorate. It’s still not autumn until the calendar says so. Those words really resonated with me. We can prepare and eagerly await, but we can never force timing. Forcing or rushing timing leads to disaster in a lot of cases. It will NEVER lead to peace or fulfillment.
So, what exactly does God say about timing and waiting?
- He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from. ECCLESIASTES 3:11
- Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord. PSALMS 27:14
- It is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord. LAMENTATIONS 3:26
- Being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. PHILIPPIANS 1:6
- Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. GALATIANS 6:9
- Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. JAMES 1:4
As you can see, timing and waiting is rarely easy to contend with, but doing so will always be worth it. Whatever you are facing now, whatever you are waiting on to come into fruition, know that God has you, and that His timing is always perfect.
Xx Ashley
