HOW TO KNOW GOD’S TIMING

What happens when your timing and God’s timing don’t align? Ever wondered why, regardless of how much you try, things don’t seem to work out? Are you going through a season of setbacks and oppression that is unrelenting? Have you tried to make it work in your own strength but nothing seems to work out? Maybe it’s a job, business, or even an application for your studies. It almost seems like no matter how much you try, it never comes to fruition. Why? Child of God, today I want to talk to you about your timing vs God’s timing. Just like we have seasons on earth, summer, spring, fall, and winter, God too has His seasons. He knows the right time to bring the fulfillment of a promise He has spoken over your life and even the magnitude of the blessing.

God’s ways are higher than your ways and this means oftentimes how He does things will be different from how we do things. He is not limited by time and that is why His view of time differs from ours.

Let’s take a quick look at the Bible regarding God’s timing.

I’m Judges 6: 6-17, the Israelites faced oppression from the Midianites because of their rebellion. Because of that, God handed them over to their enemies for 7 years. A whole 7 years of torment, frustration, and agony. Imagine the situation they were facing, considering the Midianites forced them to hide in the caves. And to give you just a glimpse of their situation, in verse 11 we see Gideon threshing wheat in a winepress. He did this because He did not want the Midianites to see him because they stole food from them too.

So for 7 years, they lived in this uncomfortable state. The Israelites cried out to God for help. However. It was not until the 7 years were over that God answered their cries and sent Gideon to rescue them. God knew what they were going through, but He did not relent until the end of the 7 year period.

Judges 6

The Israelites did evil in the eyes of the Lord, and for seven years he gave them into the hands of the Midianites. ² Because the Midianites oppressed the Israelites,, the Israelites prepared shelters for themselves in mountain clefts, caves, and strong holds. 3 Whenever the Israelites planted their crops, the Midianites, Amalekites, and other eastern peoples invaded the country. ⁴ They camped on the land and ruined the crops all the way to Gaza and did not spare a living thing for Israel, neither sheep nor cattle nor donkeys. ⁵ They came up with their livestock and their tents like swarms of locusts. It was impossible to count them or their camels; they invaded the land to ravage it. ⁶ Midian so impoverished the Israelites that they cried out to the Lord for help.

Thoughts

Looking at this story, you would wonder then why we pray if God ultimately will do what He wants to do. And it’s easy to get discouraged picturing the fact that God will only move when it’s time. And to even drive the point home, He says in Isaiah 60:22 that He will make it happen when the time is right. Not when we pray, tithe, etc, but when the time is right. This goes to show you that God has His calendar, too. And fortunately or unfortunately, His calendar will always trump yours. The fact that God is Sovereign and knows the end from the beginning means that He knows what He is doing even though we don’t.

This scripture shows us that God’s timing is tied to Him moving on your behalf. When it is God’s timing, things will be easy and you will not have to struggle to get things done.

Differences between God’s Timing and your timing.

So then what do you do when your timing differs from God’s timing?

Knowing that God’s timing differs from yours is not enough. There is a way that you need to position yourself if you are to wait on God the right way.

How should you carry yourself when God seems distant and silent just because it is not the right time for Him to act? Have you Ben oppressed longer than you expected and no answer is forthcoming, although you have done everything you know to do? Then today I have some tips for you.

Be patient.

It sounds easy, but patience can be a difficult thing to do. As a believer, you will experience situations along with how will test your patience meter. God uses situations to refine us and help us do an inventory to evaluate where we are in our Christian journey. So let me ask you this, is God testing you in the patience area? Patience is one fruit of the Spirit and if you ask the Holy Spirit, He will give you. God will use your patience to refine you and transform you in such a way that you will reflect Jesus better to the world. Everything you go through is for the glory of God. In seasons where God is asking you to wait, He wants to reveal Himself through you to the world.

Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we^[a] have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, ² through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we^[b] boast in the hope of the glory of God. ³ Not only so, but we^[c] also glory in our sufferings because we know that suffering produces perseverance; ⁴ perseverance, character; and character, hope. ⁵ And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.

Learn.

While the Israelites were in the self-inflicted wilderness, they had to learn the lesson God wanted them to. One being total reliance and obedience to Him. God wastes no season and even in the pain, God will use it for your good. The Israelites had to turn to God for help. Maybe God is taking His time because He knows you are not ready for what you are praying for. Joseph was not ready for promotion and that is why God waited for 15 years before He could promote him to prepare him. Or maybe you are yet to learn the lesson that He wants you to. God knew the Israelites had not learned the lesson He wanted them to and so He waited a little longer. Or maybe God is protecting you.

While the Israelites were in the wilderness, God told them He would not chase their enemies out from Canaan to prevent the wild animals from inhabiting the land, making it difficult for them to settle in it. There is always a reason God will delay in answering your prayers. Unfortunately, you will not understand the reason until you get to the other side. God is not as slow in keeping His promise as others would think. He rather is waiting patiently for you so that you don’t perish.

Inheritance given too soon will cause havoc in your life and God has to ensure that you are ready for it. God is a good father and, as a good father, He will not give you something that will ruin your life. He cares about you more than the promise and blessing. Although it doesn’t feel like it, God is actually looking out for you so just hold on.

Have faith

The best way to exercise your faith muscle is when there is a delay and everything around you is contrary to what God has spoken over you. Will you have faith and hold on to what God has spoken over you, even when you seem to run out of time? Will you still trust God even when you can’t see what He is doing? When God anointed David to be king, he had to wait for years before the promise came to pass.

Imagine David having to tend to King Saul, knowing very well it should be him on the throne. That must have taken courage, boldness, and trust at a whole other level. But God was not trying to deny David his promise, rather, He wanted him to develop his faith, and the skills needed to become the king of a nation. Faith is the currency in heaven and for you to access what God has promised you, faith will be the key you use to unlock it. He says that without faith it is impossible to please God. Trusting God’s timing will require you to trust Him and have faith that He is good and He will do what He has said He will do. Do you believe that God will keep His promise?

Lean on God

It is difficult to wait and be patient, especially in our world today. With how dynamic the world is today, it is difficult to wait and trust in God’s timing. People who seem to experience exponential blessings and breakthroughs constantly surrounded us and when you are among those that have to wait on God’s timing, it can be rough. Are you experiencing this right now? Does it seem like everyone else around you is progressing but you? Sometimes you should let the dirt do its work. We all gave different paths and purposes set out before us by God. And just like fruit ripens in different seasons, so do our purposes. God knows the end from the beginning and even in seasons where it seems we are not moving, God is working behind the scene to perfect us.

He will withhold no perfect gift from you because He is a loving father who wants the best for you and has the best and most perfect thoughts concerning you. Leaning on God will require your surrender. You have to trust that God knows what He is doing, otherwise you will not experience the peace that Jesus purchased for you at such a high price. Are you fully surrendered to God and His will? It is never about you.

Often it is because of the assignment God has placed inside you. Do you have areas you need to surrender to God fully? Are you having a hard time letting God and letting go? It is okay to admit that you are. But once you realize you need to confess so that you can realign yourself to the perfect Wil of God. God has so much in store for you but for it to work. He wants you to trust in His timing. He knows best.

Have an intimate relationship with God.

Abraham gained the strength to wait on the promises of God because he had an intimate relationship with God. Do you have a relationship with God? Do you know God for yourself? In seasons of waiting intimacy is key because your environment will contradict what God promised you. Let me ask you this, can you discern the voice of God?

Having an intimate relationship will help you walk hand in hand with God. You will be able to know when it is time for you to go and when it is time to wait. Moses was very adamant that he would not leave unless God went with them. He was willing to wait until God moved. Do you have the stamina to wait on God, regardless of how long it takes? Because Moses had a relationship with God, he understood who God is. And it was because of this that he was able to trust God enough to wait on his timing.

Final thought

To God, a thousand years are like a day to Him. It could feel you have been left behind, but that is not the case. Your destiny is unique to you and God will reveal you at just the right time. When Mary and Martha sent word to Jesus that Lazarus was sick, He did not go immediately to Him. Rather, He waited for 4 more days. Unfortunately, because of His delay, Lazarus died. It must have been a rough period for his sisters, and you could easily think that God did not care for them. But Jesus knew that His delay had a purpose because, through Him raising Lazarus from the dead, more people became believers and turned to God.

There is always a reason your timing and God’s timing differ. God looks at the bigger picture. So if God is making you wait, realize that the testimony He will bring through you will not only bring Him glory but will transform lives. He is the God of exceedingly, abundantly, above and beyond all that you could ever think, ask, or imagine. Don’t lose hope. He has grand plans for you and your latter glory will be greater than your former glory. Be encouraged.

One thing about God’s timing is that it can never be stopped. And this is His promise to you. It will surely come to pass and when the time is right, God will make it happen.