Waiting on God's Timing
by Ricky Zeznanski
God loves me and desires to meet the needs of my life, and He promises to answer my prayers. But that does not mean that He is going to give me everything I want whenever I want it. If He gave me everything I wanted when I wanted it, after a while, He would become second place in my life, and what I have would become the most important.
He doesn’t give me things sometimes because it’s just simply not in His will. He is a good God, and if it’s not good for me, He won’t answer. I can finagle and get things outside of God‘s will. But then there will be consequences. It’s not that He doesn’t want me to have whatever I’m asking for, but sometimes the timing just isn’t right.
God knows when I am ready for a particular blessing. Timing is very important to him. He has His own schedule (plan), and He knows everything about my life from beginning to end. He knows exactly where I am at this moment. He knows exactly where I am in comparison to where I’m going to be. And because He knows the end as well as the beginning, He also knows the times when I am not ready or qualified for things for which I’m asking.
When I am unwilling to wait for His timing, it usually gets me into some kind of trouble or bring about confusion as to why He is not doing what I am asking. Then there is always the loss of God‘s very best blessings in my life. Isaiah 64:4 says, “From of old no one has heard or perceived by the ear, no eye has seen a God besides you, who acts for those who wait for Him.”
This means that He acts on my behalf. He is willing and wants to become involved in every aspect of my life. He’s going to bring about the things that are good for me. He’s going to act on my behalf in such a way as to accomplish His will and purpose. He has predestined me to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, Jesus. He will be adding things that bless me and removing things that are a hindrance. This means that whatever I am facing in life, He’s going to be there to give me guidance and direction. If I am willing to wait on Him, then I’m willing to receive Gods best for my life.
Whenever I have the opportunity to wait on God, I have three choices:
1. I can manipulate the circumstances to get my way. But then when I get what I want, and it’s not in the will of God, I also get the consequences of that disobedience. This is why so many people are buried in financial debt. God doesn’t want me in financial debt. He wants me to be free and not be a slave to anything. He wants to provide what I need financially, emotionally, spiritually and physically.
2. I can just quit and walk away. I can throw a tantrum and say if I can’t have it when I want it, I don’t want it at all. I’ve come to find that sometimes the best things in life are worth the wait. I have to decide what value I place on that for which I’m waiting.
3. I can decide to wait and then watch God work. Watch how He changes situations and circumstances to make things happen.
Here are some requirements for waiting on God:
1. I have to trust Him. If I don’t trust Him, I won’t obey Him. I have to trust Him when He says no and trust Him when He says yes. I have to know in my heart that whatever the outcome He brings is better than I could ever do or imagine.
2. I have to have humility. He knows better than me. If I’m not trusting God’s timing, I’m saying that I know better than Him about what’s good for me.
3. I have to be patient. Patience means I must wait for His further direction. I must ask myself - is it worth the wait?
4. It takes courage. I have to have the courage to resist three things:
A. Not to get ahead of God’s schedule. I have to remember that He has a plan, and it may not look like mine.
B. The pressures of others, and what they think I should do.
C. Being afraid. Fear of the unknown. Fear of what others will say about me.
What are some of the consequences I face when I fail to wait on God’s timing?
1. I step out of the will of God.
2. I delay or even eliminate God’s blessing.
3. I can bring upon myself pain and suffering.
4. It causes confusion.
5. I can cause heartache and suffering for others.
What can I expect when I wait on God‘s timing?
1. He is going to express His goodness toward me. Lamentations 3:25-26 says, “The Lord is good to those who wait for Him, to the person who seeks Him. It is good that he waits silently for the salvation of the Lord.”
2. He will answer my prayers. Psalm 40:1–3 says, “I waited patiently for the Lord; and He inclined to me and heard my cry. He brought me up out of the pit of destruction, out of the miry clay, and He set my feet upon a rock making my footsteps firm. He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God; many will see and fear and will trust in the Lord.”
3. I will see the fulfillment of my faith. Isaiah 49:23 says, “Those who hopefully wait for me will not be put to shame.”
4. He will enable me to win over the struggles of life. Psalm 37:9 says, “For evil doers will be cut off, but those who wait for the Lord, they will inherit the land. Psalm 37:34 says, “Wait for the Lord and keep His way, and He will exalt you to inherit the land…”
5. He will give me His peace. Philippians 4:4-7 says, “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice! Let your gentle spirit be known to all men. The Lord is near. Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your request be known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
Author Bio
Ricky Z serves as the co-ministry leader for Celebrate Recovery at Council Road. He is also employed at Capstone Construction and speaks around the state at many of the prisons and jails, leading the 12-step study. He is married Amy Boman, and they both enjoy ministering together.