God's Perfect Timing

This is not an original title. This is something we throw about a lot as Christians. God’s timing is perfect. It applies to all kinds of situations and I can pretty much guarantee that someone has said this to you at some point in your life.

As a Christian you also probably have experiences that prove this to be true. When you got that job at the last minute, or when you drove home on a whim and the next day your parent was rushed into hospital and you were just right where you needed to be, at the right time.

However, if you are anything like me, you can be a slow leaner.

There was a time a little while ago in my life where I was hoping and praying for something new. I had this idea of how things would unfold and I knew when I wanted it to happen. Unfortunately I found myself a few months past my ideal time frame and I was starting to get anxious.

I remember sitting in church and not being able to concentrate on the message. As I watched people around me and prayed, the phrase ‘my heart’s desire’ popped into my mind. I began to pray that God would give me my heart’s desire.

At the end of the service I felt a tap on my shoulder. I turned round and a lady from our church quickly started speaking to me, as though she needed to get the words out, like she had been waiting all the service to tell me. This is what she said… 

‘God will give you the desire of your heart, and it will happen in His time’.  

I remember bursting into tears as soon as she said it.

It still gives me shivers just thinking about it. At the time I felt so humbled that God had heard my prayer and sent his servant to relay His message to me. There was no way I could explain this away the way I might have done if the thought had popped into my own head. This lady at church is my friend, but we aren’t super close and I had never before shared anything personal about my life with her. The fact that she had used the exact phrase that I had been praying about blew me away, and it still does!

We prayed together and I went home feeling positive and excited about the next stage of my life.

Months later and I was still waiting.

You see, even though God had clearly told me this would happen in His time, I was still trying to make it happen in my own time. I would think, I would like it to have happened before my birthday…before Christmas…before….

One day as I felt overwhelmed with disappointment I began to think about what God had said to me. Yes, He would give me the desire of my heart, and I believed it with every part of me. Yes, it would happen in His time, and I was ok with this. But I realised that I was still expecting His time to be in my time frame.

I began to realise…this might not happen for you in a few weeks, it might not happen in a few months, and it might not even have happened by next year. This is going to happen in God’s time, and that might not be anywhere near your idea of what is right, or even perfect.

I had been putting so much pressure on myself trying to make something happen, which I had very little control over.

When we are going through a challenging time we are vulnerable, and there is so much the enemy will try and do in these times. In that season of my life I went through a tonne of lies, comparison, feeling like I had failed and some really sad moments. I questioned Gods love for me, and at times felt like He had left me off the list of blessing, as I watched many people receive what I prayed for.  

That time in my life, where I finally began to accept God’s timing, was such a breakthrough for me. I began to relax, mentally and physically, as I realised that I didn’t have to try and make something happen myself. I began to soak in God’s goodness, His authority and His deep, deep love for me. I began to truly believe that what God had given me right then in that moment was my portion, and that it was GOOD.  

I began to thank Him that I hadn’t received what I longed to receive. I thanked Him that He knew the beginning from the end, that He knew what was good for me, and that He would bless me in this way just at the right time, when I was ready. I thanked Him for all the things He had given me now, for the things I could do now that I wouldn’t be able to do when my life changed.

Thanking God for the very thing He was yet to give me changed my mind set in a really powerful way.  

There were still moments that were hard, but there was also moments were I felt so overwhelmed with Gods love, his kindness and mercy towards me and His hand on my life. My God had not brought me so far to leave me. I began to see that God was coming for me, in my despair and sadness. He was fighting for me when I felt overwhelmed with emptiness.

If you are struggling with waiting for your heart’s desire to be fulfilled, I encourage you to accept God’s timing, to accept that this may not happen when you want it to. That can be so hard and it can hurt. But by doing so, by submitting to God, you enter into His rest, into a place of peace and joy and hope that the world cannot give. I encourage you to thank Him for His wisdom and goodness, and trust Him to lead you into all good things in His timing. Talk to a trusted friend about your struggle, and know that you are uplifted in prayer. Feel free to give me a message if you would like me to pray for you.

There is not a moment in your life that God has left you.

This isn’t punishment; this is the start of a miracle.

I was looking over my journal and found Psalm 23 from The Passion translation which I had written out. God has often used this Psalm to speak into my life, and I hope it encourages you today.

 

‘The Lord is my best friend and shepherd. I always have more than enough.

He offers a resting place for me in His luxurious love.

His tracks take me to an oasis of peace, the quiet brook of bliss.

That’s where He restores and revives my life.

He opens before me pathways to God’s pleasure and leads me along in His footsteps of righteousness so that I can bring honour to His name.

Lord, even when Your path takes me through the valley of deepest darkness, fear will never conquer me, for You already have!

You remain close to me and lead me through it all the way.

Your authority is my strength and peace!

The comfort of Your love takes away my fear.

I’ll never be lonely for You are near.

You become my delicious feast even when my enemies dare to fight.

You anoint me with the fragrance of Your Holy Spirit.

You give me all I can drink of You until my heart overflows.

So why would I fear the future?

For Your goodness and love pursue me all the days of my life.

Then, afterwards, when my life is through, I’ll return to Your glorious presence to be forever with You’

I've been friends with these girls since I was 12 and they are still two of my bestest feiend's. We know each other like the back of our hands. Always thankful for them.