Timing

"Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD." (Psa. 27:14)

Why does the Bible so insist on our waiting?  We are given instruction after instruction to "wait on God."  There is story after story about someone who wanted to rush Him - Abraham, Saul, Peter, and many, many more.  Why are we always being told - not so subtly, either - to slow down?

Because our timing is almost invariably faster that God's.  His agenda for a situation includes deep workings and intricate details.  We just aim for superficial symptoms.  He intends to grind His grain very, very fine - an excruciating work on our character that will not let coarseness remain.  Or, to use another metaphor, He heats His ore long and hot, removing not just the impurities that can be seen with the naked eye, but all that exist.  We usually don't care about such thoroughness.  We want to get out of our difficult situation quickly or to achieve our successes suddenly.  For us, time is of the essence.  For God, time is essential.

A direct correlation to the wisdom we learn from God is the patience our hearts can tolerate.  Foolishness is impatient.  Wisdom knows the God who redeems us and can look patiently with hope toward His deliverance and His victory.  We don't have to know how things will turn out; we know the God who is sovereign over the things.

So, what does that mean at a practical level?  It means that answers to prayers often seem delayed in our own minds but are decisive in God's.  It means that deliverance often seem slow to us, but to God it is already accomplished.  It means that when we act on our impulses, we're violating His patient plans.  It means that when our blood pressure is rising and our palms are sweating, God's voice is always saying, "Be still.  Settle down.  I am on My throne."

Can you hear Him?  If you're in a rush, probably not.  But how many times was Jesus in a rush?  How often does the Word describe God as panicked?  How many people who have invested their lives in Him have been let down in the end?  Relax.  Wait.  Be strong and take heart.