God’s Timing Is Perfect—Even When He Makes Us Wait
Do you need the reminder that God’s timing is perfect? Maybe you’ve been waiting for God to bring a dream to pass for years, and you’ve started to doubt whether your dream will ever come to life.
Perhaps you’ve been praying for a loved one for decades, but you see no sign of God’s movement in the situation. Or maybe you’ve been praying for God to heal a friend, lead you to a spouse, or give you a child.
Much to your disappointment, you’re still waiting.
Today, I invite you to join me on the porch of our family’s little cabin in the woods, and we’ll talk about learning to wait on God’s timing.
God’s Timing Is Perfect Even When It Doesn’t Make Sense
We arrived at the cabin on a Friday afternoon.
The first morning met us with azure skies—a blue so brilliant it made my chest throb with longing—and I sat on the porch to let it wash over me.
Where the shaded forest met the small yard, a cluster of mayapples clung to life. Normally, these springtime plants have withered by the time July rolls around. Surprisingly, despite being splashed with yellows and browns, they were still holding on.
I read the following words as the morning light fell softly on the forest floor: “Who set out to go down into Egypt, and have not asked Me,” (Isaiah 30:2, AMP).
As I considered the words, they prompted me to recall the many plans I’ve made without so much as a glance in God’s direction. Like the mayapples, I’ve fought to bear fruit out of season, and I’ve found myself burned out and worn down, struggling to remain standing.
I’ve rushed ahead of God and failed to turn to him for guidance with jobs, books, and all sorts of dreams.
I’ve ended up disappointed and confused, wondering whether I ever heard from God in the first place.
Perhaps you’ve experienced this, too. Most of us know how it feels to rush ahead of God.
Sadly, when we rush ahead of God, we often miss out on his best for our lives.
Learning to Wait for God’s Perfect Timing
Instead of rushing ahead of God’s plans, what if we learned to wait for his timing?
This might look like faithfully staying engaged at work until God opens the next door for a new job. It might include trusting that God will work in your spouse’s heart and do his sanctifying work through his power (freeing you from playing the role of the Holy Spirit).
Waiting on God might look like trusting that he will draw your prodigal child or friend back to himself when the time is right. It might look like trusting that you don’t need the five-year plan you crave. God will direct you in his perfect timing.
Meanwhile, what are we supposed to do while we wait? Let’s look at a few practical ways to wait well.
1. We can wait for God’s perfect timing while staying engaged with him.
Waiting on the Lord is not a passive activity.
This is where many of us get waiting wrong.
We are to cast our cares upon the Lord, bring our petitions to him, and then wait. However, this doesn’t mean we sit and twiddle our thumbs while we wait inactively for God to do something.
Instead, after bringing our requests to God, we are to stay engaged with him, watching for where he is moving so that we might respond, listening to what he might want to speak, and remaining alert to what he might want to show us.
The command to pray without ceasing reminds us to pray while we wait. Don’t leave the conversation. Stay engaged. Watch for what God is doing.
When we remain engaged with God during times of waiting, we often unlock doors that lead us deeper with him. We align ourselves with his heart as we watch for him. We find ourselves hungry for the food of his Word, and when we chew on it as if our lives depend on it, it changes us.
God wants to use our times of waiting as bridges that lead us closer to his heart. The gateway across the bridge and closer to his heart is always open.
God wants to use our times of waiting as bridges that lead us closer to his heart. The gateway across the bridge and closer to his heart is always open. #waiting #TrustingGod Share on X2. We keep doing the work God has placed in front of us.
Waiting on God can be deeply discouraging, and it’s tempting to give up.
Instead of giving up, God has called us to keep working while we wait.
The woman who believes she is called to teach God’s Word in crowded auditoriums can faithfully lead a Bible study with a handful of women while she waits for her dream to come to life.
The woman who wants to open her own business can put her whole heart into her job behind the counter of the local grocery store.
God calls us to keep working while we wait. Instead of rushing ahead of God, we do whatever he has set in front of us until he opens the next door.
3. God’s timing is perfect: Cultivate joy and don’t lose heart.
We wait well when we cultivate joy during times of waiting.
Here’s what this might look like:
Begin each day with a few moments spent thanking God for his blessings.
Slow down and embrace the beautiful moments unfolding around you: Splash in puddles with the kids. Dust off your bike, your skis, or your kayak. Try a new recipe. Sit by a window and watch the sunrise. Make memories with your friends, or go on a long-overdue date with your husband.
We wait well when we cultivate joy in the waiting.
Whatever you’re waiting for today, have hope. God acts in his perfect timing.
Second Peter 3:8 reads, “With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day.” God will bring his plans to pass at just the right time. He is trustworthy.
A Free Devotional for Hard Seasons of Waiting
I have a gift for you today. Hope for Hard Days is a free 10-day online devotional to help you hold onto hope when life is tough. You will find 10 readings to help you connect with God and claim his peace. Click here and I’ll send it to your email inbox today for free with promo code HOPE.
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