Understanding God’s Timing

Scriptures: Isaiah 55:8-9, Romans 8:25-28, Hebrews 11:11-12, Isaiah 40:31

We know that God always answers our prayers. His answers may not be what we want to hear at that time. My wife and I often remind each other that His answers can be “yes,” “no,” or “not yet.” This simple expression highlights that our sense of timing is frequently not aligned with God’s. Am I saying that our finite, impatient, short-sighted understanding of the world is not the same as that of the all-knowing, all-powerful, sovereign God of the universe? I am. 

This struggle to understand God’s timing impacts every believer at some point. People throughout the ages have questioned God’s timing. How often have we asked God why, when, or how long? We try to be patient, but sometimes waiting upon our perfect, all-powerful, sovereign God is difficult. In Isaiah, God tells us that His ways are not our ways, and His thoughts are not our thoughts. In other words, we don’t know what God is planning or thinking. But, in Romans 8, we are told that God works all things together for our good. What about when God seems silent? What about when His answer appears to be “not yet?” What are we to do then? 

Over the next few days, we will examine a few Biblical examples of real people struggling with God’s timing. These are no trivial matters. Each of these stories deals with matters of life and death. These issues kept people up at night. These problems were so critical to them that they became all-consuming. And as they worried about the future, that worry was displayed in their actions. 

Our first example comes from the Gospel of John – the story of the death of Jesus’ good friend, Lazarus. Martha confronted Jesus and said that if He had just come to Bethany a few days earlier, her brother would not have died. In Genesis 15, Abraham and Sarah worried about having a son. Why did they have to wait until they were “as good as dead” (Hebrews 11:11-12) to receive the promised heir? Finally, in Ruth 3, Naomi schemed to solve her financial problems by getting Boaz to marry Ruth. 

Martha, Abraham, Sarah, and Naomi each had an issue with God’s timing. They either expressed their concerns to God or took matters into their own hands. One benefit of studying God’s Word is that we can learn from those who have gone before us. These are real stories of real people that God has placed in His word. Their concerns and emotions, be they anger, laughter, or fretting, show us that God’s love extends to all areas of our lives. We can feel free to go to God with our emotions and frustrations. He understands our needs and even our impatience to see those needs met. But we can also know that, like these stories that He has given to encourage us, God will always act in our best interests and His timing is perfect.

Scriptures: John 11:1-44, 1 Thessalonians 4:13-14, Hebrews 11:35

The story of the death of Lazarus provides us with an excellent contrast between God’s timing and ours. Let’s look at the chain of events. According to verse 1, Lazarus was ill. So, his sisters, Mary and Martha, sent for Jesus to heal him. In doing so, Mary and Martha displayed great faith in Jesus. They trusted that He would heal their brother. However, according to verse 6, Jesus did not leave for Bethany until two days later. He stayed two extra days! And then it took him at least three more days to walk there. By the time Jesus arrived at Bethany, Lazarus had already been dead for four days. Jesus’ timing was off by Mary and Martha’s standards. In this matter of life and death, Jesus had drug His feet. 

When Jesus arrived at Bethany, Martha was mourning the loss of her brother. In an angry state, Martha confronted Jesus. Have you ever wished you could tell God, face to face, how you feel about something? Martha did. Verse 21 tells us that she said to Him, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” She was blaming Jesus for Lazarus’ death! She told Jesus that it was His fault because His timing was off. In Martha’s mind, God’s timing was wrong. If God had only listened to her, Lazarus would still be alive. Martha did not understand why Jesus waited and allowed Lazarus to die. To her, that was incomprehensible. 

In verse 4, Jesus revealed the answer to His disciples, “It is for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it.” So, was Lazarus’ death for God’s glory? In verses 43-44, Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead. This miracle displayed Jesus’ power over death and brought glory to Himself. 

Jesus had a good reason to wait before traveling to Bethany. He waited so that He could be glorified. Had Jesus traveled to Bethany immediately, Lazarus may have been deathly ill but still alive when Jesus arrived. Healing Lazarus would have brought glory to Jesus and joy and gratitude to Mary and Martha. But raising Lazarus’ decomposing body from his sealed tomb was a whole different level. This miracle showed Jesus’ authority over death and the grave, likely leaving many of His followers overwhelmed with wonder and joy. It also set an intentional parallel to His own resurrection after three days in the tomb. 

When we consider God’s timing, it’s crucial to recognize that He operates according to His own reasons and schedule. We might question His timing, and even feel frustrated by it, but ultimately, He is God and we are not. The timing of His actions is entirely determined by His sovereign will, a concept that we need to grasp and accept. 

Jesus, in God’s timing, displayed His love for Mary, Martha, and Lazarus in bringing Lazarus back from the dead. God’s redeeming love also brings us back from the dead and into new life. As in the case of Mary and Martha, it turns our sorrow into joy. This is how God works. This is who God is. This is what He does in the lives of those who believe in Him. We were dead in our sins, but through His redeeming love, we are alive in Him. And through that, God is glorified.

Scriptures: Genesis 15:1-6, Genesis 16:1-6, Genesis 18:10-15, Romans 4:19

Abraham is remembered as a man of great faith. He trusted God in many areas of his life, including leaving his home and moving to a foreign land. God repeatedly blessed him for it, expanding his wealth and giving him honor among men. However, something was missing from Abraham’s life, and it was a primary concern for him. Abraham did not have an heir. He and his wife Sarah were barren. When Abraham died, his belongings would pass to one of his servants, Eliezer of Damascus. In Genesis 15:2, Abraham mentioned the lack of an heir while conversing with God. In His loving-kindness, God replied to Abraham, “Your very own son shall be your heir.” (Verse 4) At the time of this conversation, Abraham was 89 years old. That’s pretty old to be fathering a child! 

Abraham may have believed God, but he and Sarah eventually lost patience and lacked trust in God’s promise. Taking matters into their own hands, Sarah suggested that Abraham lie with Hagar, her servant, to obtain an heir. But Abraham didn’t lie with Hagar immediately. He waited. He continued to display trust in God’s promises, at least for a while. 

Abraham’s and Sarah’s struggle was not just a physical one, but an emotional one as well. According to Genesis 16:3, they waited on God for ten long years, hoping for a son. Ten years and still no sign of a child. Abraham was now 99 years old! From a human perspective, it is understandable that they lost patience with God’s timing. They took matters into their own hands, following Sarah’s suggestion and Abraham lay with Hagar. Nine months later, Ishmael was born. 

Abraham and Sarah’s impatience had severe consequences. In their haste, they ran ahead of God, disregarding His timing and His redeeming love. The results of their actions were not just immediate but had long-standing effects. Ishmael, Abraham’s son with Hagar, became the ancestor of many Arab nations, who remain mortal enemies of the Israelites to this day. 

In Genesis 17:15-16, God reiterated His promise of an heir to Abraham. This time, God was more specific and clarified that the promised son would come from Abraham’s wife, Sarah. In Genesis 18:10, God further affirmed His promise to Abraham that Sarah would have a son. She laughed at this announcement and said, “Shall I indeed bear a child now that I am old?” Abraham and Sarah had waited almost 80 years for a child! God’s timing, from their perspective, was way off. However, the Lord shut down Sarah’s line of questioning and her laughter, saying, “Is anything too hard for the Lord?” God showed them that His timing was perfect and that they could trust Him regardless of the past. They were even told to name the son “Isaac,” which means laughter. Maybe God wanted Sarah to remember the time she laughed at God’s promises whenever she called her son to dinner. 

In His timing, God displayed His redeeming love for Abraham and Sarah despite their loss of hope. In providing a son to Abraham and Sarah, God “brought them back from the dead.” Romans 4:19 refers to this: “He did not weaken in faith when he considered his own body, which was as good as dead (since he was about a hundred years old), or when he considered the barrenness of Sarah’s womb.” (Emphasis added.) God blessed Abraham and Sarah with a new generation despite all their suffering. God’s redeeming love had restored their hope. 

This story shows us who God is and how He works out His redeeming love in the lives of His people. Like Abraham and Sarah, we too, may have given up hope. But through His redeeming love, He will do the same for us. We can be brought back from the dead to life, in Christ and our hope will be born anew. 

What can we learn from this interaction between Abraham, Sarah, and God? Sometimes, God’s timing is different from ours because He wants our trust and uses our waiting to strengthen our faith. Are you in a time of waiting? How does this story remind you of God’s faithfulness? How has God worked His redeeming love in your life?

Scriptures: Ruth 1:11-14, Ruth 2:20, Ruth 3:1-18, Proverbs 16:9

In Ruth 1, Naomi is left without her husband and sons. She is now without an heir. Naomi constantly worries about this problem. You might even say that she was obsessed with it, and judging by her actions, she may have reached the point of panic. Why was this such a big deal? In the ancient Near East, a widow without an heir was not only a shameful situation but also held the risk of extreme poverty. 

Naomi’s reliance on an heir, rather than God, to meet her needs is a stark contrast to the theme of trust in God’s plan. In Ruth 2:20, she mentions that Boaz is a potential kinsman-redeemer, someone who could marry Ruth and provide an heir for Naomi. She is hopeful at Boaz’s respectful and generous treatment of Ruth when she gleaned in his fields. However, by Ruth 3, three months have passed, and Boaz has not redeemed Naomi by marrying Ruth, leading to a shift in Naomi’s approach. 

Like many a meddling mother-in-law, Naomi decided to play matchmaker. She prayed for a kinsman-redeemer and, tired of waiting on God’s timing, decided to answer her own prayer. Naomi decided she would be the catalyst for Boaz and Ruth’s relationship. In Ruth 3, she hatched her dangerous plan. 

Naomi told Ruth to clean up, put on perfumed oil, stop dressing in mourning, and put on something nice. She told Ruth to make herself attractive to Boaz to get him to propose. She then told Ruth to visit Boaz where no respectable woman would go – the threshing floor. 

Naomi’s plan was not only risky but also potentially dangerous. The threshing floor at harvest time was a place of drinking, merriment, and often, prostitution. Boaz’s men had just been paid and were indulging in physical pleasures. By sending Ruth there, Naomi was not only disregarding Ruth’s safety but also taking matters into her own hands instead of trusting God’s timing. This highlights the potential dangers of rushing God’s plan and the importance of patience and trust in Him. 

Ruth listened to Naomi’s scheme and obeyed her as any good daughter-in-law would. By agreeing to Naomi’s plan, Ruth risked her reputation and chance of a good marriage and practically invited assault upon herself! Naomi planned for Ruth to be with Boaz, regardless of how. Naomi was rushing God’s timing. All she cared about was the final result. 

In the rest of chapter 3, we see that as risky as Naomi’s plan was, God acted through it. But God did not sacrifice Ruth’s well-being in the process. Boaz was a man of integrity and protected Ruth’s reputation while he moved swiftly to make her his wife. And the son that Ruth bore became Naomi’s heir, ensuring her security for the rest of her life. Despite Naomi’s doubts, God displayed His redeeming love in His timing. 

Proverbs 16:9 says, “The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps.” He does that with us today. We know that God is sovereign but also that He works through our actions. This should not negate our trust in Him. We are to trust Him more and more. But we can also be assured that God’s plan for our lives will stay intact even if we stumble. We aren’t perfect. We can’t see the future; no matter how “in-touch” we try to be with God’s will, we will make mistakes. But God has given us stories in the Bible to show us how He works out His will in the lives of His people. People who were real and had real fears and doubts, just like we do. Their stories show us that God’s redeeming love is greater than our mistakes. This is what redeeming love does – it is patient with us, assures our doubts, and helps us trust in Him. This is how God works. This is who God is. This is what He does in the lives of those who believe in Him. He will do the same for us.

Scriptures: Isaiah 40:31, Psalms 37:7, Proverbs 20:22, Romans 8:25-28, Isaiah 60:22, Philippians 4:6-7

We should notice a pattern in the stories of Martha and Jesus, Abraham and Sarah, and Naomi and Ruth. Each “delay” in God’s timing strengthened their faith and accomplished God’s will. But the wait also resulted in events that would not have otherwise occurred. When Mary questioned Jesus, we learned that expressing our emotions and doubts to God is okay. But the delay allowed Jesus to demonstrate His power over death. Abraham and Sarah’s wait for the promised heir, Isaac, strengthened their faith and resulted in the birth of Ishmael and generations of his descendants. When Ruth and Boaz were married, Naomi learned she could trust in the Lord, even though she made mistakes. And her heir, Obed, was the grandfather of Israel’s greatest king, David. Perhaps one of the most important things we learn from these stories is that we are to wait on the Lord. Scripture tells us over and over to wait on Him. Isaiah 40:31 says, “They who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.” 

Let’s face it: we hate to wait. The average person grows impatient after just 30 seconds of waiting. We find it easier to act than to wait. We often try to rush God’s hand when He works out His sovereign will. Sometimes, we grow impatient with God’s timing and doubt His reliability. Like Martha, we may lash out in anger when things don’t happen as we think they should. However, the story of Martha and Jesus teaches us that it’s okay to express our emotions and doubts to God. However, there are still times when we would rather play God than trust Him. So, what does it look like to wait upon the Lord? 

Scripture is abundantly clear that we are not to try to rush God. We are to wait upon Him. Psalm 37:7, Proverbs 20:22, and Romans 8:25 are just three of the forty times Scripture tells us to wait upon the Lord. Translated from the Hebrew, Isaiah 60:22 reads, “When the time is right, the Lord will make it happen.” We are to trust God’s timing. Isaiah tells us, “When the time is right,” not when we think the time is right. From the perspective of eternity, God’s timing is perfect. Therefore, we are to wait on God’s timing. God repeats Himself forty-plus times to wait upon Him because He understands how hard this is for us. We must wait on Him. 

Sometimes, the purpose of the waiting is for us to wait. If you doubt that statement, think of a time when you waited for something you wanted. The wait probably changed you, for good or bad. Sometimes, we aren’t ready for the blessings that God has in store for us. Sometimes, God has something better for us than what we anticipate. Sometimes, like these stories, He wants to strengthen our faith and reliance on Him. As we go through seasons of waiting, consider what God is trying to teach you by waiting. Understanding the depth of God’s steadfast, redeeming love for us changes how we wait. As Philippians tells us, we are to have a “peace that transcends all understanding,” meaning we can be at peace while we wait. Even when being at peace makes no sense. Trust in God’s timing. Trust in His all-encompassing redeeming love.