In God's Time

IN GOD’S TIME

By: C. Mason Davis

A man was speaking to God, and he asked him, "God is it true that to you a thousand years is a minute?" "That's true," God replied. "And is it true that to you $1,000,000 is like a penny?" "That's true," God said. "Well, you see I'm a poor man and I was wondering if you could give me a penny," asked the man. "Sure," said God, "in a minute.”

TODAY’S SCRIPTURE

2 Peter 3:8 says, “But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.”

In life we're always waiting for something such as waiting for a dream to come true, waiting to meet the right person, or waiting for an answer to a life’s issue. When it's not happening as fast as we would like we start to doubt God. But we must realize the moment you prayed to God He already knew what you’d ask for, as well as when He would answer your prayer. God knows the time you will meet the right person, when you’ll solve your life’s issue, when you’ll be healed, when you’ll get your promotion, and even when you’ll die. It may be tomorrow, or next week, or five years from now, but when you understand the time for anything and everything has already been set, it takes all the pressure off you. You’ll no longer need to live your life in worry, wondering when whatever is going to happen.

The first thing we need to understand about God’s timing is that it is perfect, just as all of God’s ways are perfect. God’s timing is never early, and it’s never been late. In fact, from before our birth until the moment we take our last earthly breath, our sovereign God is accomplishing His divine purposes. He is in complete control of everything and everyone. No event in history has put so much as a wrinkle in the timing of God’s eternal plan, which He designed before the foundation of the world. Our patience often reveals the degree of trust we have in God’s timing. Deuteronomy 7:9 says, “Know therefore that the LORD thy God, he is God, the faithful God, which keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love him and keep his commandments to a thousand generations.”

The truth is that bad things happen to good people, but that doesn’t mean that God doesn’t exist. Bad things can happen to anyone, and they do. It’s a fact of life. It’s a way of life. How can anyone expect to go through life without stubbing their toe at least once. Sometimes bad things happen that we, ourselves, cause to happen. Other times bad people cause bad things to happen and no matter what we do, how we try to protect our lives, they’re still going to happen.

We learn early in life that we are all sinners, we all make mistakes, and that Jesus died on the cross for our sins, so we can come to heaven one day and live an eternal life with God. Romans 5:6 states, “For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.” Having free-will means that we aren’t going to be perfect. We’re each going to make good and bad decisions, perhaps do some bad things, but overall, if we repent and ask for forgiveness, we too, will be forgiven by Him. Trials and tribulations are a way of life, and they will weigh heavily on our hearts from time to time. We will go through situations that cast doubt upon our beliefs and might even have doubts about religion. When times become so dark in life, it’s easy to develop a completely negative personality that carries over into anything that you do. Just remember that if you start to feel this way that keeping a negative way about you will only allow you to eat, breath, and live in the negative. Negativity begats negativity; whereas positivity begats positivity. You are what you feel.

There are many reasons to believe and trust in God’s timing, such as:

• His word has never failed, and it never will.

• God has good intentions for you.

• He has proven himself trustworthy before.

• He is always on time.

• He doesn’t have deadlines.

• He is never impatient.

• God’s timing is honest.

• His judgement is never clouded.

• He only has you in mind.

• God’s timing has the proper perspective.

• Even His “bad timing” is perfect.

• There are never any strings attached.

And…no appointments are necessary.

Sometimes we’ll have what we believe to be a life-altering event happen to us. Something that will make us change in our life from guilt, from grief, from anger, or from sadness. We must understand that God hears all and knows all and has given us all the answers we need to overcome all of these reactions. His timing of these events won’t be to our liking or agreement, but they happen, nonetheless. Did God cause these events to happen, or did he just allow them to happen? God doesn’t create any of these circumstances, but the are the product of our choices, our wills, and our lives. He knows what will happen and when, as well as the outcome of what these events will do to us.