PASTOR’S CORNER: God’s timing

Noah relied on God’s protection as he and his family waited in the ark for nearly two months after the flood subsided.

After being cooped up for more than two months, the water had dried up from the earth and the ground was dry (Genesis 8:13). But, Noah didn’t just rely on what he saw. Instead, he left the ark only when God told him to. He trusted that God had a good reason. Perhaps the ground wasn’t completely safe yet. The psalmist declared, A beautiful declaration and prayer, ”I trust in you, Lord … My times are in your hands (Psalms 31:14-15).”

Community, if you feel like you are on hold for something and that God is not moving as fast as you think that he should, don’t fret, just wait! It’s kind of like when we were young and we had rabbit in us and we wanted to run. We were looking at the green grass, wanting to flap our wings and do like other children were doing despite our parents, who had lived and experienced some things, telling us that what we thought was green grass was only a green light shining on brown grass. They wanted us to wait, gave us wise council, and if we listened, it helped to guide us in the right direction. But we were young, thought we knew it all and wanted to sow our oats. We did it, didn’t want to wait and made a pure mess. If we had just waited like they said, things would have been a whole lot different.

Community, let’s learn and learn quickly that good things, GOOD things, come to those who wait. Consult God and wait. With God, waiting has huge benefits. Sometimes, God will tell us to wait. Sometimes, He will re-direct us to bless us, and we don’t even know it. We’ve got to learn how to operate in God’s timing for we must always remember the words of Isaiah 55:8, “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither your ways my ways, saith the Lord.” He knows better than we do what is better for us! God calls us to wait. When we have to make a decision, when we don’t hear from God, we ought to do what David did. He trusted and didn’t get ahead of God. He waited.

I read about how Phil Stringer waited 18 hours to board a flight that was delayed due to thunderstorms. His patience and perseverance paid off, however. Not only did he get to fly to his destination and make it on time for important business meetings, but he was also the only traveler on the flight. All the other passengers gave up or made other arrangements. Flight attendants gave him whatever food he desired, and Stringer adds, “I did sit in the front row, of course. Why not when you have the whole plane to yourself? The outcome was definitely worth the wait.”

Saints, let us not pace up and down the floor; let’s quit losing sleep and being aggravated and frustrated because God is not responding the way we think or as quickly as we think. When we really come to grips with the fact that our steps are really ordered by the Lord (Psalms 37:23); and that he is really in control of our lives, and that when we have to wait, something good is always on the other side, then we won’t mind waiting.

Folk, who are in a hurry, miss out and they mess things up. Ask Father Abraham. He messed up because he and his wife Sarah did not want to wait on God (Gen. 16:1-13). Community, in God’s timing his plan for our lives will unfold. Because I want to tell somebody that God is up to something. If the plane you are flying on gets held up for 18 hours, don’t start cussing, fussing and pouting. God may want you to fly by yourself. He may want you to have the whole plane. God’s timing!

See, God works providentially and not according to our schedule!

I’ve always remembered the young lady who I was talking to from an association in Robeson County who was scheduling me for a preaching engagement at their association. She was driving while talking to me on the phone then we got disconnected, so I called her back. She said to me when she picked up “Rev. Ellis, you just saved my life!” I asked her what she meant. She said “I was at a traffic light and it was on red; but when you called the light turned green but I hesitated to answer your call.” She said at that very moment a big truck ran the red light at a good speed and if she had not hesitated to answer my call, she would have pulled out right in front of that truck.

Sometimes God works behind a wait! If God has us on hold, there is something behind it!

We ought not to get frustrated all the time when there’s a wait in our checkout line at the store. God may have held you and me up because the tragedy was down the road, and that WAIT at the store kept us from being at a tragedy at the time that it happened. I know we want to check out quickly and sometimes I do too, but understand in God’s timing sometimes he works behind a wait! Some of us might not be here today had it not been for God’s timing! Let’s trust in God and wait on his timing.