Written by Pastor Jack Wellman– Francis Chan
Four reasons why you should trust in God’s timeline, not yours
How many times have you set up a plan and things didn’t pan out? Well, you shouldn’t really beat yourself up too much. The reality is that there is a cosmic timeline and guess what, that timeline is not under your control.
By trusting in God’s plan and God’s timeline, we are assured of success. When we put our will ahead of God’s will, we are really only setting ourselves up for failure because, let’s face it, as powerful and as talented as we think we are, we’re not all that.
Here are four reasons why you should trust in God’s timeline, not yours:
Reason #1: God’s timeline gives you time to learn
We live in a day and age where we want instant results. When you go on a web browser and you type in a query, you are spoiled by the instant results. Because of this, you expect everything to just happen and fall into place the moment you think about it. Unfortunately, that’s not how life works. There is a timeline out there. In many cases, it doesn’t line up to your expectations and assumptions.
This is especially true when it comes to the major things in our life like finding the right person, finding real love, and finding a job, just to name a few. God has a timeline for those things. The good news is when we plan our lives in such a way that allows for God’s timeline, we give ourselves time to learn. We give ourselves time to plant the necessary seeds so we can develop those meaningful relationships and pursue the right goals that give glory to God.
Reason #2: God’s schedule gives you time to get your ego under control
Human beings are very funny creatures. We think that we are in such control over the world when we enjoy little victories. When we make a lot of money, when we live in a big house, when we drive a nice car, we get so wrapped up in our ability to make things happen.
Unfortunately, it often takes major disasters to get our ego under control. Outside of those disasters, our egos continue to grow and grow. That’s how hungry and how powerful our pride is. When we make plans and those plans don’t pan out and we feel frustrated, we are reminded that God has a schedule for us and we are faced with two choices. Either we trust in God and as a result, get our ego under control or we continue to become frustrated and feel anxious. The choice is ours.
Reason #3: God’s timing often lines up better opportunities
You might think that the timeline that you have set up for yourself is the right timeline. But interestingly enough, when you meet failure, it often involves greater opportunities coming your way later on. In fact, you might be shooting for small potatoes when God has lined up for you even bigger opportunities. In many cases, by relying on God’s timeline and refusing to feel defeated and frustrated when our best-laid plans don’t pan out may be the best thing that we can do because we are opening ourselves up to the possibility that God has the best saved for later.
Reason #4: God’s scheduling ensures you grow enough to fully appreciate success
Life is all about failure and challenges and trials mixed in with successes and blessings. When success comes so easily, we develop a mindset where we feel entitled to that success and we don’t appreciate them fully enough.
In many cases, when we are forced to wait, we grow and mature as people and we begin to develop an appreciation for success. This is a blessing in itself because by focusing on God’s scheduling, we are able to see the things that are going right in our lives and develop a fuller understanding and a fuller appreciation of them. This leads to a more fulfilled and more fulfilling life.
Conclusion
God has a timeline for your life. The good news is by choosing to live your life based on God’s timeline instead of yours, you will live a life that is more fulfilling, happier and more peaceful.
