The Beauty of God's Timing
I don’t think there’s anyone who we should look to as an example of waiting like our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. So often, people relay the story of when He went into the temple after straying away from his parents as one where He was about His Father’s business, but the reality is, He wasn’t ready.
Imagine that? Our Lord and Savior not being ready. After all, He was born perfect, down to the fact that the Lord would send Him through a virgin. He was sinless and was all God and all man. Yet, He wasn’t ready (Luke 2).
Waiting is never easy, no matter what you’re waiting for. I think it’s even harder to wait when you’re waiting for something you didn’t ask for. I was on my way to being a Pediatrician when The Lord redirected me to studying Journalism, and then later English. He planned to have me in the creative space, pursuing a full-time writing career. Today, I’m still waiting for the promise God gave me to make my name great as a writer and to be the first millionaire in my family. While it sounds good to be a millionaire, this wasn’t the way I wanted to do it. My vision was to be a doctor, work hard, invest in property, and go from there. To wait for Hollywood to say ‘yes’ to a TV show idea or for one of my books to finally peak in such a way that I’m making a regular six figures a year wasn’t in the plan. Yet, I submitted to what God wanted and I’m still waiting.
I thought about several things that made Jesus such a powerful example for us to look at when it comes to God’s timing. Here’s what I learned:
1) Jesus’ waiting prepared the disciples to walk with Him and be His destiny helpers. It sounds great to get a promise from God and to think we can just take off running with it. However, more often than not, there will be other people connected to that promise. The disciples Jesus would end up choosing needed to be prepared to walk with Him. It’s not that God was looking for perfect people to walk with Him, but there was a level of readiness required in order for them to be able to stay with Him when times would get rough. While Jesus walked up to the fishermen and they dropped their nets to go with Him, don’t think for a second that there wasn’t some kind of preparation process for them. God is preparing those who will walk with you and He needs you to be patient as He does so. They are a huge part of the story.
2) Jesus’ waiting prepared His family. I’m a firm believer that even if your family doesn’t agree with God’s plan for your life, God will get you there. However, in Jesus’ case, we see Mary, Joseph, and His brothers coming into agreement with His purpose. This wasn’t like Joseph, Jacob’s son, when he told his brothers that they would serve him, and they sold him into slavery. Jesus’ story shows us that God was intentional in who He chose not only to birth Him but to support Him. Joseph experienced frustration and confusion, but he trusted what God told him through the angel. James, Joses, Judas and Simon (Mark 6:3) walked with their Brother and while I’m sure there were hiccups along the way, they submitted to the call of God on His life. Can you imagine the persecution His family faced walking with Him? God didn’t leave them unprepared. Your family may end up in ministry with you, or even helping with the business God gives you. Trust Him as He continues to prepare them.
3) Jesus’ waiting shows us the importance of submitting to authority. When twelve-year-old Jesus was teaching in the temple and His mother came to find Him (Luke 2), he responded in a way that showed He understood His divinity, but He also submitted to authority. There will be seasons where God shows us who we are and what we’re called to do, but like David, we may go back into the field to train. It’s not up to us when God uses our gifts and anointing. We have to submit to whatever authority God places over us in those obscure seasons. It protects us from prematurely launching into destiny and from getting in God’s way. So, while He was about His Father’s business, He understood that if God chose Mary and Joseph to parent Him on earth, then He needed to submit to their authority. He could’ve easily said, “I’m your Savior. What are you talking about?” But He didn’t. I believe that’s what leads me to point number four.
4) Jesus’ waiting teaches us how to trust God. In my opinion, it would seem that Jesus could do anything He wanted, no questions asked. He was, after all, the Savior of the world. Jesus’ submission to His parents and even earthly authority (Him paying taxes, etc.) shows that He trusted God’s plan over His understanding. In John 5:30, Jesus says, “I can of Myself do nothing. As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is righteous because I do not seek My own will but the will of the Father who sent me.” Over the years, this has become one of my favorite verses. I’ve prayed this verse to help me make decisions that align with God’s will and not my agenda. For Jesus to say this shows us just how in tune with the Father He was. He trusted when God told him to speak and when He told Him to be quiet. Trust is a huge part of our destinies and without it, you won’t be able to make it very far. The beautiful thing about this is that the trust goes both ways. It wasn’t just that Jesus trusted His Father, but God trusted Him (Matthew 3:17). God needs to know that He can trust you before He commissions you.
God’s timing isn’t about you. It’s about Him. We often think we’re being punished when God asks us to wait. The truth is, God has a larger plan at work and for Him to fulfill that plan, He needs to make sure He can use people who have been processed and prepared for the work. More importantly, God’s timing helps Him to redeem mankind and the earth back to Him the way He intended for us to be before the fall in the garden (Genesis 3).
3 Reasons God Makes Us Wait
1) To build our character and purify our hearts – The pruning process is the most vital process that one will ever go through to prepare for their God-ordained destiny. Even when it comes to something you didn’t ask for, God knows if our hearts are truly ready for what He wants to give us. You can’t skip this part of the process and you want God to purify your motives. I remember when I was working in property management. A guy called interested in one of our properties and had money on hand, ready to rent. However, we had already received an inquiry and application from a struggling mother who hadn’t yet paid a deposit. When I called my boss to let her know that this man was ready to go, she said we had to wait to hear back from the lady first. I was confused since most companies go by whoever is ready first. The lady ended up not being able to afford the place and when I called the guy back, he had already moved on. I was confused at first, but then it hit me. God was training me to learn how to treat people based on merit, not money. That was a valuable lesson for me, one in which I needed to learn. That’s not to say that I would’ve been treating people wrong, but we don’t know what’s in our hearts like our Father does.
2) To establish His Kingdom within us before we go out and represent His Kingdom – Can I be honest? I mean brutally honest. I am tired of new Christians turning their social media platforms into online churches when nine times out of ten, God didn’t send them out. I think it’s great that new believers want to spread God’s message and we are called to make disciples, but not everyone is called to do public ministry. If John the Baptist went through the rigorous training that he did in the wilderness, to only come out and have a ministry that lasted just a few months, why does this generation think that they are qualified to speak? It’s a huge pet peeve of mine because I know what God requires for those of us who will preach and lead. I’ve been submitted to a process for years and you got saved two months ago and claim God told you to speak? Now, in no way is this jealousy, because trust me, if God said I could go back to med school today, I’d do it. This is a call for us to submit to the process of God establishing His Kingdom in us before we try to represent His Kingdom at large. The word of God tells us that teachers will be held accountable to a higher degree. Even if you aren’t calling yourself a teacher, the word also tells us that we will make an account for every word that comes out of our mouth. There’s so much to learn about the Kingdom and we need to submit to the University of Jesus Christ, completing the full program before we try to be seen and heard.
3) To prepare the people and places assigned to our anointing – I covered this in the lessons that we learned from Jesus, but I’ll add this: partnership is important to God. There are people, places, and even families assigned to what He’s called you to do. While it may look different than the way your favorite influencer does it, it’s still significant. If we all saw our part as a powerful seed to be planted into the soil of God’s mission, we would submit to the process no matter what. The people and places assigned to your calling have to be just as prepared as you. I know it sucks to hear that sometimes you’re ready, but they aren’t, but it’s true. Think about it. Jesus had a set timing, but until John the Baptist did his part, Jesus couldn’t start His ministry (Luke 3). Mary and Elizabeth were pregnant at the same time, but Elizabeth was further along than Mary when Mary went to visit her (Luke 1). John the Baptist needed to be born before Jesus so that the prophecy would come to pass. Remember, it’s bigger than you.
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