God’s timing
God’s Timing
April 13, 2026
In today’s fast paced environment and the bombardment of products and services providing immediate gratification, we have problems waiting on God for answers to our prayers.
When we or a loved one is in pain or experiencing difficult times, it’s easy to wonder why God seems to take His time getting us through them. As we look to Scripture, Peter reminds us that God doesn’t see time as we do. In this specific case he is referring to Jesus’ return. “But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.” (2 Peter 3:8). Clearly, our perception of time while on earth is different than God’s.
Last month’s message was about prayer, and how to approach God with your requests. We must remember that God will not fulfill all requests as they must be in line with His will. As an example, one can look to the Apostle Paul, who authored 13 books in the New Testament. In 2 Corinthians 12:7-9, Paul asks God to remove a “thorn” from him three times. God said, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” We aren’t provided with the exact ailment Paul suffered from, but we know he was a confident man, which could lead to conceit. Had God removed the “thorn” Paul may have thought his ministry was the result of his works, not God’s. This impediment allowed Paul to see that his power came from God.
Now to address the topic of this blog, prayers that seem to be unanswered or unfulfilled. Does that mean we are being ignored or that they won’t be fulfilled? The short answer is no! Let’s investigate this more closely. Unanswered prayers are those we have been praying for but have yet to hear from God. I can remember a time in my career where I felt in the wrong place. I asked God for guidance and felt Him telling me to continue what I was doing. Three years passed, and I continued to ask God for direction. I continued to receive the same answer from God to continue what I was doing. At several points, I asked God for a “peek,” to no avail. I’m sure at the time, I would be unable to comprehend what He was doing. In year three, the answer finally came. I was approached with a newly created position within the company, and told they wanted me to take the job. I was stunned! I felt I wasn’t in the right spot, but thought that meant searching for a new job, and going through the rigors of that process. By listening to God, He was preparing a way for me, and all I had to do was obey! I am sure I whined to Him often, and He was patient with me, all the while setting me up with something much better than I would have asked for.
This certainly doesn’t mean that all prayers will be answered in this manner, but it is a real example of how God works. He places you in situations that He tests you and your ability to follow Him. As you follow Him, grow with Him, and “whine” to Him, a relationship develops. What follows is trust, learning His true voice, and the ability to obey, no matter the cost. God can use those who follow His guidance in mighty ways. He is looking for people who will trust and obey!
While I was whining about my somewhat unanswered prayer for three years, Abraham had to wait twenty-five years for the promise God made to him. In Genesis 12:1-4, God promises Abraham a land that will become a great nation when he was seventy-five years old. A few chapters later the reader sees God promise Abraham a son (Gen. 15:4). Fast forward to Genesis 21:1-5, and you see Abraham has a son, Isaac when he was 100 years old. God fulfilled His promise to Abraham twenty-five years after it was made (wow!!). There’s much more to this story, however, as Sarah, Abraham’s wife thought God had made her barren since she had yet to conceive a child. She developed the idea for Abraham to take her maid as his wife and sleep with her. Sarah’s maid, Hagar, became pregnant by Abraham and had a son. You can imagine the drama that unfolded due to this decision (Think Jerry Springer show). At this time, Abraham was eighty-six years old. (Gen. 16:1-16). Abraham and Sarah had to wait fourteen more years to receive the son God promised. I don’t know if the delay in receiving the promised son was due to their impatience, but this set of circumstances led Abraham to become very obedient to God, as you can read about in Genesis 22.
The takeaway from this topic is God is always true to his word. As humans with our limited ability to process information, we have difficulty understanding and being obedient to His responses to our requests. The more time we spend reading God’s word, spending time in prayer, and listening in silence for His thoughts, the more develop a relationship with Him. God desires a relationship with us, and as it grows, we are more open (we still complain) to wait on His timing. We must continue to remember to trust and obey God, as this is the framework, for a more fruitful and joyous life.
As with all topics, I am attempting to introduce the concept and provide some basic insight. If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out via email at tiwaters68@gmail.com
Blessings,
Tom
