1 To everything there is a season,
Ecclesiastes 3:1 [NKJV]
A time for every purpose under heaven:
Now, I’m not going to lie, I was initially quite tempted to skip tonight’s daily bread entry. With everything that’s been bouncing around inside my head tonight, I was thinking that maybe I deserved to take a break from doing my daily devotionals. It’s that thought that goes, “Hey, missing one day, what difference will be it make. I can always resume the day after.”
But then again, I was reminded that it was that kind of thinking that first led me astray and away from my faith and away from God. I recognised the sign, so I know that I have to prevent it from turning into something more. Anyway, I’m glad that I didn’t skip today’s entry because as it turns out, I do have a meaningful message/reflection to share today.
Three Things WE Need to Know About Timing.
1. Knowing When is the Right Time to Act
The very first lesson that I’ve learned over the last many years of my life is that God always knows best when we should do certain things (or make certain key decisions) in our lives. This applies to everything from our own personal lives to the kinds of business decisions we have to make if you are a business owner.
I’ve learned that when I rush into something without trusting in God’s timing (leaning upon my own understanding, or desperation), it would usually not work in my favor, and sometimes things might even get worse. And I have also experienced many times in my journey that when I am willing to exercise self-restrain, and be patient in waiting for Him to show me the next step I need to take, it would often result in something amazing.
Knowing when it is the right time to do something also comes with experience, and knowing how to listen to your gut/instincts. I’ve always believed that trusting our instincts/gut is actually quite the same as trusting the Holy Spirit’s guidance in our daily lives. It’s that tiny little voice inside of us that is nudging us to either “hold” and wait, or to take action. Knowing how to listen to that voice and acting when it tells us will always result in something good.
2. Trusting that God will Give Us What We Need When the Time is Right
Trusting in God’s timing is also something that applies when we find ourselves struggling or facing some kind of difficulty in our lives. Sometimes when we are facing a major setback or obstacle, it is easy to feel despair and to doubt if God will intervene and help us, lifting us out of the situation and delivering us.
We can pray and for days, maybe weeks, or months, never really get any kind of response. And we wonder if God was even listening. The thing is, He is. He is just ignoring us because He already has a plan in place that would help us, it’s just not how we expect it. God rarely ever does things according to our expectation or for our convenience.
So it is then down to us to trust that when we ask God for something, if He doesn’t answer, it doesn’t mean He isn’t listening, it just means that the timing isn’t right. With everything that I’ve already experienced in my life so far, it’s hard not to see that this is so true. At the right time, He will always give us everything that we need.
3. Don’t Miss It.
On this final lesson about trusting God’s timing, I want to talk about all the times when I wasn’t ready in my life. I was so busy being distracted by everything else, and chasing after the wrong things; as a result, when God did present me with the right opportunity, I would totally miss it (even when it was right in my face).
Trusting in God’s timing isn’t a passive thing. It’s not something that we just sit on our butt and say, “I trust that God will provide me with the right job.” It doesn’t work like that. Trusting God means that we should also be acting on our faith and believe. That means to keep sending out job applications even after being rejected for hundreds of times.
That is what I had to learn in recent years. After hundreds of rejections, I was close to giving up. Way too close. But I then decided to keep sending out applications. And within a week of making that decision not to give up, I landed a full-time job (the one that I am working in right now).
Imagine if I had given up. I would’ve missed this career opportunity. One that would also signify the start of a new phase of my career. It is something that I had been working towards for almost 19 years. I was so close to missing out on this opportunity.
Personal Prayer for Today
Dear Heavenly Father,
Thank You for speaking to me again tonight. I know that I was tempted to skip tonight’s entry because I want to spend more time on my work (my new job). But You reminded me that it is excuses like these that first caused me to lose my way. And I can’t let that happen again.
Thank You for also reminding me today that trusting in Your timing is something that I’ll need to keep doing every single day of my life. You have showed me that if I am willing to trust You and be patient, that You would always deliver. I will continue to trust that You always know what is best, even if it’s not something I’m expecting, or not convenient for me.
As I continue with my work tonight, I pray and ask that You will continue to guide me with Your wisdom. When it comes to making any important decisions in my life, I will also trust that You will speak to me and guide me when the timing is right.
I vow to give You all the praises and all the glory. In Jesus’ name I pray.
Amen.
shermannatrix 
Leave a comment