It’s About Time!

God’s timing is something that I simply cannot wrap my mind around.  Even at my age it is a concept that evades me.  Perhaps it is because I continually try to understand it with my human mind.  Currently, I find myself in one of the biggest struggles ever in this area.  For a couple of years now the Lord has been dealing with my husband and I regarding his job.  While it has provided well for our family, it has also consumed ninety percent of his time, leaving little room for family or ministry.

So we did what every “good Christian” does.  We prayed.  After months of prayer, we had the answer we had been praying for.  God made it clear to us that he was to leave his job.  While this was very exciting in one aspect, it was terrifying in another.  Our financial well-being had depended on this job for almost 30 years.  What were we going to do?

In obedience to the Lord’s leading, my husband retired from his job.  I would like to tell you that  every thing has worked out perfectly since then, that God has given us all of the answers and made our path clear, but nothing could be further from the truth. We have faced many financial set backs and God has not yet made clear the exact path that he has for us.  Because I am far from perfect, this has caused me to question God’s timing and purpose. I have devised many plans in my own mind knowing full well that they were not of the Lord.

As I was praying and asking the Lord to give me the faith to be obedient even when I cannot see the full picture, he lead me to the book of 1 Samuel.  Not to a story that I am unfamiliar with, but rather to one with which I am extremely familiar.  A story that I have heard many times.  He led me to the story of Hannah.  Hannah loved the Lord and desperately wanted a child.  In 1 Samuel 1:5 we see that “the Lord had shut up her womb.”  Did Hannah serve a cruel God who sought to withhold from her the very thing that her heart desired?  I’m quite sure that Hannah was tempted to believe this lie of the enemy but scripture tells us how she CHOSE to handle it instead.

Hannah, in her barrenness, continued to worship and cry out to the Lord. She served him faithfully, choosing to honor him, all the while  sharing with him her hearts desire.  In 1 Samuel 1:20 we see that Hannah conceived and bare a son, and called his name Samuel.  Did God give Samuel to Hannah because she had finally prayed hard enough for him?

On the contrary, God opened the womb of Hannah at the perfect time because in his infinite wisdom the master architect knew that the nation of Israel would need Samuel at a specific time in history for a specific purpose. Samuel played a pivotal role in the history of the nation of Israel.

Because God is not a respecter of persons we can trust and believe that he is working and moving in our lives in the same manner.  He will give us what we need in his perfect timing. Our job is to commit and submit our plans to his will for our lives.  Not only did God bless Hannah with Samuel, we also see that “the Lord visited Hannah and she conceived and bare three sons and two daughters.  God blessed her above and beyond, but not on her timeline!  God blessed Hannah and made her path clear on the timeline pre-designed by his master design.

What are you praying for today?  What answers have eluded you and made you begin to question God’s timing?  It is of interesting note that one translation of the name Samuel means “God has heard.”   Samuel’s very name gives testament to the fact that God is listening to our petitions.  As you wait for God’s master plan to unfold in your life, I encourage you to remember Hannah.  Hannah’s story is a constant reminder to us all that God has not forgotten us and that his answers to us are always right on time!

Isaiah 40:31 “But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.”