Written by Pastor Jack Wellman– Alan Robertson
God’s Clock
Does God even go by a clock? Isn’t He sovereign over all time, space, and matter? We plan our day around the clock, but God’s already written the day. God isn’t restricted by time like we are because He has no limitations. He doesn’t sweat like we do to make sure everything that needs to get done, gets done (hopefully). Since we know that God is sovereign over all that happens and that even the worst things that happen to us will work out for our ultimate best (Romans 8:28), isn’t that enough to trust Him with today?
His Timing
Since God knows the future, timing is not a problem for Him. It was at the perfect time that Jesus was conceived and came into the world, as just “when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons” (Galatians 4:4-5). It was at the exact moment when Jesus, Who was God and is God (John 1:1), “became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:14). John said, “We have seen his glory,” which meant He and the disciples saw His miracles but also saw Him after He was resurrected and then as He ascended into heaven. James, John, and Peter also witnessed Jesus’ Shekinah glory on the Mount of Transfiguration (Matthew 17:2). The point is, we can trust a God Who is sovereign over time.
Our Patience
God is working in us to grow our patience. A person who is more trusting is a person who is more patient. If you were in the doctor’s office and you had a 10:00 appointment, you wouldn’t be worried if it was 10:15 a.m. because you’ve had enough experience to know that eventually your doctor will see you. God is infinitely more trustworthy. And knowing that He never goes back on any of His promises, we should be more patient as we wait for God’s timing to be revealed. God is never in a hurry, but it sure seems like we are.
Right Time and Place
There was a man who was trying to take his wife on the scenic route and drive right over the Continental Divide, but on the way down, the car’s brakes started failing because of the excessive stopping required going down a steep grade. His brakes were literally burning up, and failure was imminent. When your brakes are failing and you’re headed down a long mountain road (6 miles!) at a nearly 40-degree angle, you’re picking up speed, and your brakes are starting to fail, you’ll probably panic. At the very moment the man realized it would be necessary to drive his car into the side of the mountain in the far right lane, he briefly glanced down the road and saw an emergency stop. It was made for these kinds of emergencies. This emergency stop area leveled off quickly and then went slightly uphill, but it was also lined with huge water barrels, four deep. Thankfully, it was enough to stop the car without anyone being injured. If the man had driven into the mountainside one second earlier, he and his wife might have been killed, especially considering all the trucks and cars behind them. God knew that was going to happen, and He obviously sovereignly planned that the couple would be at the right place at the right time to see the emergency stop area. Do you trust Him for that?
Conclusion
I think all of us have a hard time trusting God in His timing. We stand in front of a microwave and are impatient when it takes three minutes to cook a meal. I am guilty as well, so I need to think about what Mr. Robertson wrote, where he said that God works things out on his timetable to bring the best results for us. His timetable can be remarkably different from ours, but His is a lot more trustworthy than ours.
