SEARCHLIGHT
Do you ever think God is running late in answering your prayers? The real question is why.
SCRIPTURE
But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: with the Lord, a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. 2 Peter 3:8 NIV
SPOTLIGHT
Just ask any person who takes delight in cooking. Timing is of the essence. You must not bake or boil something too short or too long for the taste to be just right. Also, ask a musical conductor about timing. The violins cannot get ahead of the wind instruments and the percussion must play exactly on time.
Dr. Ernest Easley told a story about the famous baseball player, Roger Maris. A reporter asked Maris, who held the major league record for home runs in a season, “What is your secret for hitting 61 home runs in a season?” When this accomplished baseball player responded, he did not talk about his power, strength, or bat speed. Instead, he said his secret to hitting home runs was “split-second timing.” He had learned how to swing the bat to hit the ball right on time.
God “hits home runs” all the time because He is always on time. When God the Father sent His Son, Jesus, to earth to become the Savior of the world, it was precisely at the right time. God had a set time and He carried it out just as He planned. [Galatians 4:4]
IS GOD EVER LATE? In the above Scripture text, Peter answered this question for believers who were wondering when Jesus would return and deliver them from persecution. This is what you have to know. First, God’s timing is different from your timing. One day for you is comparable to a thousand years for God and vice versa. Don’t forget that God is infinite, meaning that He has no beginning or end. Secondly, you need to know that God’s perspective is different from yours. God sees things totally differently than you do. He sees the beginning and the end and everything in between. You see the immediate. You are very much aware of what is taking place right now. God sees the big picture. Once I drove through the Rocky Mountains on a single-lane highway. As I would come to a big bend in the road, I could not see what was around it. Any oncoming traffic was not known to me. Upon returning home, I took a plane. As I flew over the Rockies, I was able to look down and see the vehicles traveling both ways on the single-lane highway. It occurred to me that what the drivers could not see around the bends, I could see. From my vertical view, I had a far more complete perspective. This helped me to understand that God’s big picture is far different from my picture of events in life. Thirdly, God’s delays are not denials. He never runs late and He never runs early. God is always on time. There is a right time and a wrong time. God decides when the time is right. God sets in order sequences of events to create the right time. Timing matters. There is a time and a season for everything. [Ecclesiastes 3:1-15] God may delay His promises, but He never denies them. Your Heavenly Father is both a promise maker and a promise keeper.
If some people set up an appointment and promise to meet you at 12 noon but are late and do not call to tell you, it is reasonable that you may grow impatient, irritable, or think something has gone wrong. Suppose a surgeon is operating on your family member and he has told you that the operation will be 2 hours long. The surgery ends up being 4 hours. For 2 hours you are wondering what is going on. You can even begin to think the worst. Here is the question. Do you want the surgeon to hurry but do a poor job? Do you want him to leave the operating room in the middle of the operation to tell you that he will be taking longer than previously anticipated? Of course not! You must trust him to do his best regardless of how much time it will take. Likewise, God will always keep His promises and fulfill them just at the perfect time. His timing and perspective are different. In addition, what appears to be God denying you an answer to prayer is only a delay to answering it at the perfect moment.
Do not forget this truth. Don’t allow it to be forgotten or overlooked. God will never be late or early but always right on time.
SOMETHING TO DO
What can you do to become confident that God loves you, watches over you, and will never be late when blessing you or answering your prayers? Is there a verse you need to memorize or meditate on? Do you need to tell God that you will make His timeline your timeline?
SOUL TIME PRAYER
Heavenly Father, thank you for teaching me how to perceive time. I know You love and care for me because You are a good and loving Father. Help me to be patient for You to fulfill your will in my life. AMEN!