When God's Timing Seems So Slow

We’re counting the minutes, hours, days and now weeks. For some of us, we're three weeks into this time of isolation. And we keep asking “How much longer?” Only to hear "At least through April 30th!" That’s not surprising God at all. He’s been listening to us ask those questions long before this pandemic. “When will this baby get here?” “When will my job promotion come?" “When will my financial breakthrough come through?” So, it’s not surprising God at all that we wonder when our lives will get back to normal again.

Before this pandemic, I was driving to an appointment – running a little late. I had to come to a screeching "slower than molasses" speed. A covey of bicyclers were ahead of me on a two lane road and they had no intention of getting into a single line so that other vehicles could pass them. Mind you, they were going at record speed for bicyclers, but not to the speed this pistol-packin'-mama needed them to go. After all, I had things to do, places to go and people to see!

Once my patience was stretched to its limit, I completely lost it and started yelling, “Hurry! Hurry!” Good news. They didn't hear me. My impatience didn’t speed up the procession at all. How many times have we approached God’s timing the same way? Like right now. But God isn’t bound by time. He rarely operates at a pace that pleases us because we want the answer, the problem solved, the check in the mail, the baby arrived, and all other matters – to hurry, hurry, hurry!

But God's perfect timing....is well....perfect. We might as well just breathe because, in God’s perfect timing, we’ll be right where He planned for us to be. Remember Sarah, Abraham's wife? She had trouble with God's timing. Not with bicyclers or donkeys in her road, but a 25-year wait for the baby God had promised her (Genesis 12-21). We know how she took matters into her own hands by giving her maidservant Hagar to her husband, and the two of them had a child. Even our modern-day television dramas don’t hold a candle to what ensued! It turned out “helping” didn’t help, and the promise still wasn’t fulfilled.

But, in God's perfect timing, Isaac, the child who God had promised 25 years before, was born. God was not late. God called Isaac's birth-day "the appointed time." (Genesis 18:14) "Appointed” means “predetermined; arranged; set.” Isaac’s birth came at the exact time God had planned all along!

Perhaps we all hear our own unbelief and questions about God’s timing? I hear mine. "When will this be over, Lord? Aren’t You just a little late? " God may seem like a covey of bicyclers in the road, slowing down our plans and our dreams, but He knows the entirety of our story from beginning to end. He also knows how our story weaves into the lives of others. We may be tapping our watches, but He is never late. He may seem slow, but He’s always right on time. God Himself holds the appointed time in His hands.

For all who are disappointed about delayed weddings, missed proms, vacations, interrupted plans, remember God's ways are higher than our ways and "Oh, the plans He has for you. Plans to prosper you and not harm you, to give you a hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11. We can relate with each other on the waiting part and we can relate with each other on the impatience part, too, but let’s stand together in confident hope! God is faithful, and we can rely on His perfect timing. Though it's not easy in this wait, we can trust in Him and rely on His ways, His thoughts and His perfect timing.

He’s the God of Time & the God of Timing

My two mini-me’s and I planned all week for this day. It is girls-day-out. The husband/dad is out of town, so it is a perfect set-up. But, first order of the day is taking Emma (their Yorkie) to the vet to see after a little health issue. That sets us back on getting to Neiman’s Mariposa for our favorite chicken broth and popovers by 11 am. We arrive in the Neiman’s parking garage, park, and an older woman is waving for our help. She has locked her keys in her car, her cell phone is dead and she is distraught about getting to her daughter to go school-shopping with her. She is in tears, apologizes for being so emotional, and taking up our girl-time. She asks to use our cell phone.

We accommodate her and because she is a bundle-of-nerves, Staci takes over making calls to her car dealership down the road for coming to help her. I go into my comforting mode and assure her that it is God’s perfect timing that we show up at the time she needs us. It is by no accident that we get to be the ones to assist her. We know that. We calm her by praying with her. I tell her we are thrilled to be Good Samaritans to her. She says, “Oh, I must not be a Good Samaritan because I don’t think I could do what you are doing. I’m not as kind as you are. I wouldn’t stop to help someone, but I am a Christian.” She tells me where she goes to church. I reply: “You will be a Good Samaritan, too, because the example is set for you today by our getting to help you."

It is piping hot outside. We are all “glistening” from the heat. She continues to try to persuade us to go inside and get out of the heat. We refuse to leave her alone. She is immensely concerned that she is spoiling our day – especially for Alexia. We assure her she is not. Soon her daughter shows up, along with the locksmith. As we are handing her over to the others, she pulls out $100 and asks Staci to give it to Alexia. We refuse to take it but she is insistent with tears in her eyes. Staci explains to her that last night they prayed that Alexia would be blessed today with extra money for some great deals we’ll find “thrift store shopping” (Alexia's absolute love as she gets name-brand items, redesigns them, using the sewing machine I bought her for her birthday last year). I'm so proud of her skills and wise-spending.

After a delicious lunch, we head to The Star (the Dallas Cowboys headquarters), where Payton works as a real estate associate at Monarch Realty. We took him soup and popovers. He gives us a grand tour – perfect for photo opportunities. After that, we head to the thrift stores and Alexia is delighted with her finds. She’s not ashamed at all of thrift sale buying – she knows a deal when she finds it. It was a God-perfect-timing day.

I share this exhaustive story with you today because I want to emphasize that God is not just the God of time and eternity…He is the God of timing. When we take on our daily roles as His servants on a mission each time we step out of our homes, we are clocking in to God’s assignments, set-ups, not only getting to give and be His hands and feet extended, but we are positioned for His blessings to land on us when we least expect it. Maybe it's time to clock-in to His schedule -- get in-sync with God's perfect timing. It’s a great place to live, walk, talk, and be His ambassadors.

Letting God Set Our Pace

My pace has drastically changed from the busy housewife, mother, women’s ministry leader, piano teacher, church organist, and office administrator when my children were very young. I often look back at those days and wonder “How did I manage to keep my head on straight? How did I maintain a calm, cool and collected image? How did I not cave in the middle of the busyness?” If my kids are reading this, would you please remind me if I was ever cray-cray or better yet, please don’t remember! I prefer to think that I was just like June Cleaver in the “Leave it to Beaver” TV series in the 60s or Mrs. Cunningham in the 70s “Happy Days” TV series -- adoring, sweet and serene.

A young mom of four texted me: “My mom brain is taxed to the limit these days trying to remember everything I’m supposed to do. I regularly feel like I’m forgetting something or someone!” Oh, how I relate! My responsibilities have changed but I still often feel like I’m forgetting something or someone! LOL! I really do get you precious wives and moms who are juggling a dozen plates at the same time. Been there and done that AND now I am proof that you will survive!

Life requires a truckload of patience and perseverance, and we make it! We conquer! For example, here we are over halfway through February and Christmas is a distant memory. All that stress and busyness is behind us AND we're on to successfully making through another year. The problem is we aren’t satisfied with taking baby steps to get to our destination. We expect that we must do life in giant leaps or we’re falling short. There are so many lessons to learn and so many victories that we can win if we only take one step at a time and one day at a time to accomplish our goals.

In many car races, they typically begin with a pace car that runs the other cars around the track before the race officially starts and then once that flag to start is waved, the pace car veers off and the others pass on by and commence the race. God is the driver of our pace car. Instead of concerning ourselves with the next BIG event and all the challenges we’ll face, the better plan is to get in sync with God’s perfect pace that will keep us in a state of peace and contentment. Listen to God's pace: "He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint." Isaiah 40:28-31

This post started out speaking to you young wives and moms, but even those of us without those many responsibilities, can still feel out-of-sync and we get in a tizzy about this or that. I know it well. A couple of nights ago I woke in a sort of panic mode when I thought about a project I’m responsible for and it just wasn’t coming together as I had expected. I couldn’t sleep. I tossed and turned. Then, I forced my mind to stop thinking about all that “stuff” and to think on my Pace-Setter, He Who leads with perfect timing with a peace and joy pace, realizing that tomorrow is another day, and that day will give the opportunity for walking and running in His pace.