God's Pocket Watch Isn't Broken.
"God's time is the best" is a popular phrase that I'm sure a lot of us must have heard at one time or the other. If it has been said to us, it must have been during a time of waiting, to help us remain steadfast in trusting God to bring things to pass. Sometimes, it seems God's time is a very long time, and we have to wait, seemingly for forever for that time to come. Did God's pocket watch break and He's lost track of time or maybe He's forgot some of us are waiting on Him for some very pressing needs???!
No He hasn't. He is the God that never sleeps, neither does He slumber. His ears are ever attentive to our prayers. No, He never loses track of
time.
The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and
his ears are attentive to their cry;
Psalms 34:15 NIV
Waiting time is an opportunity to learn some lessons, if we are willing. It is a time that God gives us to allow us to diligently seek
Him and to prepare to receive what we've asked for in faith. It is a time meant to be
used wisely.
God's Time Isn't Man's Time
We all are in so much of a hurry to get
somewhere, acquire something or achieve something, that we often aren't willing to
wait for it. Waiting is like punishment. We are the ones in such a haste, God isn't, He does
everything in His own time.
I've shared my thoughts about Time in a slightly
different context in an earlier post which I'll link below:
We know there is a time for everything under the sun, but having a
discerning mind helps us to know when we need to wait for something we desire
and that we need grace to endure the waiting period.
It is not easy waiting for something we truly desire, we usually want it immediately. Anyone that has
had to wait for a partner, a child, a job or any type of breakthrough, will
tell you so.
In our eyes, if things do not happen at the
exact time we want it to and it means having to wait and wait to have it, it can cause untold
heartache and worry. Sometimes we give up, we stop trusting and then settle for an
alternative or second best option. In our hearts we know we acted in haste and we have
settled for what wasn't meant to be ours.
I guess this happens because we are limited in
the knowledge of things to come, which can be very frustrating, then when we eventually figure out that all we had to do was wait, we begin to tell ourselves us for not waiting.
Delay Is Not Always Denial
God is the One who knows all things. He has seen
the end from the beginning and knows when it's right for us to have what we
desire. When are desires are also something that can cause us harm, delay might
end up being denial and though it may be hard, down the line we'd eventually see
it was all for our good and we'd thank God that He kept that door shut when we
were at it banging with all our might for it to open.
I thank God for some doors He kept shut in my
life because I eventually realized He kept them shut to save my life 💯
Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and
wait for the Lord.
Psalms 27:14 NIV
Promise To The Tired And Weary
It is important to remain steadfast and focus on God during our waiting time. We must avoid listening to negative talk or thoughts that, somehow we are at fault for the delay we are experiencing. No, that's not true.Tick all the right boxes of preparedness and wait on God to do His thing. When it feels as if the wait is taking forever and we are getting tired, feed on the word of God such as this verse below:
Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men
stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they
will walk and not be faint.
Isaiah 40:30-31 NIV
Hope is Everything
One of the earliest bible text I memorised as a
teenager was Hebrews chapter 11 verse 1-2. I particularly love the Message
version which I've added below:
The fundamental fact of existence is that this
trust in God, this faith, is the firm foundation under everything that makes
life worth living. It’s our handle on what we can’t see. The act of faith is
what distinguished our ancestors, set them above the crowd.
Hebrews 11:1-2 MSG
No matter what it is that we are waiting for,
while we have still got breath, we still have hope. There are so many things I see in the world today that breaks my heart, every news channel is filled with doom and gloom it seems, yet I dare to hope that it will get better and while doing that, I will continue to do my bit in putting positive messages out, making sure everyone I come in contact with feels valued and loved.
Not only so, but we also glory in our
sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance,
character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because
God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has
been given to us.
Romans 5:3-5 NIV
My journey to where I am today was one of
perseverance and hope. I kept hope alive and I still do as there are so many
things I'm still trusting God for to happen, but only in their due season even though there are some I'm desperate to have RIGHT NOW.
Make Your Waiting Time Count
Make good use of your waiting time. Do not waste it fretting or being anxious, trust that God will come through. When He does come through and you look back, be able to take pride in what you did while you waited. There is no way we can tell how long we need to wait for some things and just as Romans 5:3-5 says above, it produces perseverance. Fill your time with charitable works and make the most of each day by being accountable for each thought, each word and each action even if any of them are in response to naysayers and those that will come to you with negativity and criticisms.
Prayers are good, but it's not the quantity of prayers but the quality of prayers that count. As long as you are acting in faith, even before you utter a word, things are already being sorted out for your good, you just have to firmly hold on to that belief.
Things are going to work out for your good.
Love always
Ige