God's Delay Is Not A Denial (Trusting His Timing)

…Just as long as what you're praying for is according to His Will ;-)  

"For all of God's promises have been fulfilled in Christ with a resounding "Yes!" And through Christ, our "Amen" (which means "Yes") ascends to God for his glory." 2 Corinthians 1:20

The Bible repeatedly tells us that we can have what we pray for when we receive it by Faith. There may be a WAIT sometimes, but as long as what we're praying for lines up with His Word then, we can have what we are believing Him for. He said it! The Bible justifies it! God keeps His promises! =)



7 Scripture Verses & notes concerning God's timing and why we can trust in His timing:

Understanding God's perspective on TIME

Ex: God says, "At the time I have planned, I will bring justice against the wicked. Psalm 75:2

Life Application Study Bible Note: God will act when He is ready. Children have difficulty grasping the concept of time. "It's not time yet" is not a reason they easily understand because they only comprehend the present. As limited human beings, we can't understand God's perspective about time. We want everything now, unaware that God's timing is better. When God is ready, He will do what needs to be done, not what we would like Him to do. We may be as impatient as children, but we must not doubt the wisdom of God's timing. Wait for God to reveal His plan. Don't take matters into your own hands.

God rescues us in His TIMING, not ours

Ex: "Years passed, and the king of Egypt died. But the Israelites continued to groan under their burden of slavery. They cried out for help, and their cry rose up to God. God heard their groaning, and He remembered His covenant promise to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. He looked down on the people of Israel and knew it was time to act." Exodus 2:23-25

Life Application Study Bible Note: God's rescue doesn't always come the moment we want it. God had promised to bring the Hebrew slaves out of Egypt (Genesis 15:16; 46:3, 4). The people had waited a long time for that promise to be kept, but God rescued them when He knew the right time had come. God knows the best time to act. When you feel that God has forgotten you in your troubles, remember that God has a time schedule we can't see.

Waiting for God's TIMING

Ex: "How long, O God, will you allow our enemies to insult you? Will you let them dishonor your name forever? Why do you hold back your strong right hand? Unleash your powerful fist and destroy them. You, O God, are my king from ages past, bringing salvation to the earth. You split the sea by your strength and smashed the heads of the sea monsters. You crushed the heads of Leviathan and let the desert animals eat him. You caused the springs and streams to gush forth, and you dried up rivers that never run dry. Both day and night belong to you; you made the starlight and the sun. You set the boundaries of the earth, and you made both summer and winter. See how these enemies insult you, LORD. A foolish nation has dishonored your name." Psalm 74:10-18

Life Application Study Bible Note: From our perspective, God sometimes seems slow to intervene on our behalf. but what might appear slow to us is good timing from God's perspective. It's easy to become impatient while waiting for God to act, but we must never give up on Him. When God is silent and you are in deep anguish, follow the method in this psalm. Review the great acts of God throughout biblical history; then review what he has done for you. This will remind you that God is at work, not only in history, but also in your life today.

Ex: "So although Jesus loved Martha, Mary, and Lazarus, he stayed where he was for the next two days. Finally, he said to his disciples, Let's go back to Judea." John 11:5-7

Life Application Study Bible Note: Jesus loved this family and often stayed with them. He knew their pain but but did not respond immediately. His delay had a specific purpose. God's timing, especially His delays, may make us think He is not answering or is not answering the way we want. But He will meet all our needs according to His perfect schedule and purpose (Philippians 4:19). Patiently await His timing.

Ex: "But you must not forget this one thing, dear friends: A day is like a thousand years to the Lord, and a thousand years is like a day. The Lord isn't really being slow about his promise, as some people think. No, he is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent." 2 Peter 3:8-9

Life Application Study Bible Note: God may have seemed slow to these believers as they faced persecution every day and longed to be delivered. But God is not slow; He just is not on our timetable (Psalm 90:4). Jesus is waiting so that more sinners will repent and turn to Him. We must not sit and wait for Christ to return, but we should realize that time is short and we have important work to do. Be ready to meet Christ anytime, even today; yet plan your course of service as though He may not return for many years.

Ex: "Jesus was about 30 years old when he began his public ministry." Luke 3:23

Life Application Study Bible Note: Imagine the Savior of the world working in a small-town carpenter's shop until he was 30 years old! It seems incredible that Jesus would have been content to remain in Nazareth all that time, but He patiently trusted His Father's timing for His life and ministry. Like Jesus, we need to resist the temptation to jump ahead before receiving the Spirit's direction. Are you waiting and wondering what your next step should be? Don't jump ahead—trust God's timing.

Ex: "When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners." Romans 5:6

Life Application Study Bible Note: We were weak and helpless because we could do nothing on our own to save ourselves. Someone had to come and rescue us. Christ came at exactly the right time in history—according to God's own schedule. God controls all history, and He controlled the timing, method, and events surrounding Jesus' death.

Gospel song recommendation: "Waiting on God" by Rev. Dreyfus Smith & The Wings of Faith Mass Choir

How to Experience God's Peace

When we keep our minds stayed on the Lord and His Word, the peace of God will keep us. But, we have to always guard our hearts by meditating on the things of God. 

"And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise." Philippians 4:8

"Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth." Colossians 3:2

You will give energy what you put your focus on. You can't expect to experience God's kind of Peace if you're watching ungodly shows & movies, listening to secular music, keeping bad company & doing ungodly things in the dark. That's not how God's peace operates. Yes, God is in control but, we have responsibility. We're in a spiritual warfare & we have to continually guard our hearts. What we meditate on, will sink into our hearts & play into our lives. You can't experience God's Peace if you're feeding your flesh and not your spirit. Similar to, you can't experience an abundance of God's blessings if you aren't committed to having a faithful relationship with Him. God needs you to do your part so that He can do His. 

For example, if you spend hours plopped on the couch in front of the tv watching shows/movies full of sexual immortality, you'll be tempted to fornicate or accuse your spouse of cheating. If you're watching crime shows, you'll live in fear thinking someone is out to harm you. If you're listening to garbage music, you'll do what the music is putting into your ears/HEART… that's how the devil works. In order for him to tempt you, he has to get into your mind by tempting you with ungodly things that you focus on. If you're thoughts are on the the things of the Lord, then you can resist the devil and he WILL FLEE! (James 4:7) But, you can't resist the devil if you don't first humble yourself before God as the rest of the scripture says.

*Here's a note on Isaiah 26:3 from the Life Application Study Bible NLT: "We can never avoid strife in the world around us, but when we fix our thoughts on God, we can know perfect peace even in turmoil. As we focus our mind on God and his Word, we become steady and stable. Supported by God's unchanging love and mighty power, we are not shaken by the surrounding chaos. Do you want peace? Keep your thoughts on God and your trust in Him."

My favorite verse: "Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and He will give you everything you need." Matthew 6:33

To "seek the Kingdom of God above all else" means to put God first in EVERY area of your life, to fill your thoughts with his desires, to take his character for your pattern, and to serve and obey him in EVERYTHING.

Are you really living for The Lord? He desires total sacrifice, to take up our cross and daily die to ourselves. James 4:4 says, "To have friendship with the world is to have enmity with God." Too many Christians are doing things of the world and people are being led astray by our Christ-less behavior. Our trust in The Lord can win over the heart of an unbeliever to the Lord Jesus Christ. But, we have to make sure we are living for God and not just professing with our lips, but with our actions…and our heart.

"I am leaving you with a gift-peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don't be troubled or afraid." John 14:27

Note from Life Application Study Bible: The end result of the Holy Spirit's work in our lives is deep and lasting peace. Unlike worldly peace, which is usually defined as the absence of conflict, this peace is confident assurance in any circumstance; with Christ's peace, we have no need to fear the present or the future. Sin, fear, uncertainty, doubt, and numerous other forces are at war within us. The peace of God moves into our hearts and lives to restrain theses hostile forces and offer comfort in place of conflict. Jesus says He will give us that peace if we are willing to accept it from Him. If your life is full of stress, allow the Holy Spirit to fill you with Christ's peace.

Experience God's peace by staying planted and rooted in His Word and not the world. His peace surpasses ALL understanding! ♥

"Then you will experience God's peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:7 NLT

See Blog Posts titled: "Worry Ends When Faith In God Begins" & "Heart Check"

Book Recommendation: "The Believer's Authority: what you didn't learn in church" by Andrew Wommack

Trusting and Obeying God's Plans

"Jesus replied, "You don't understand now what I am doing, but someday you will." John 13:7 NLT

This verse of scripture is about serving others as Jesus Christ did by the washing of the disciples feet (John 13:1-20.) In addition to humility, this verse reminds me of God's plan for our life. Jeremiah 29:11 says, "For I know the plans I have for you, says the LORD. They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope." We will never be able to fully understand God because our minds are finite and His is infinite. When we are told by God to do something, our choice is to obey or disobey. Of course, if we disobey there will be consequences: we miss out on our blessings and we may end up on a path of destruction. But, when we obey God, we do the greatest thing that we could ever do for Him: act in faith. When we "walk by faith and not by sight" we hope for God's best though, we can't physically see, we can spiritually see and imagine some of the good plans God has for us! Though we don't really understand, we walk out on faith and show God that we trust Him. We have to learn to listen and obey God's plans because he knows BEST! When God speaks to us, it's always BEST to quickly follow Him, so that we can avoid destruction. Plus, we can always use a blessing or even a miracle! We can't expect to receive special blessings from the Lord if we aren't wiling to obey. 

Acts 12: 1-5 James is Killed and Peter is Imprisoned. King Herod Agrippa began to persecute some believers in the church. He had the apostle James (John's brother) killed with a sword. When Herod saw how much this pleased the Jewish people, he also arrested Peter. (This took place during the Passover celebration.)

"The night before Peter was to be placed on trial, he was asleep, fastened with two chains between two soldiers. Others stood guard at the prison gate. Suddenly, there was a bright light in the cell, and an angel of the Lord stood before Peter. The angel struck him on the side to awaken him and said, “Quick! Get up!” And the chains fell off his wrists. Then the angel told him, “Get dressed and put on your sandals.” And he did. “Now put on your coat and follow me,” the angel ordered. So Peter left the cell, following the angel. But all the time he thought it was a vision. He didn’t realize it was actually happening. They passed the first and second guard posts and came to the iron gate leading to the city, and this opened for them all by itself. So they passed through and started walking down the street, and then the angel suddenly left him. Peter finally came to his senses. “It’s really true!” he said. “The Lord has sent his angel and saved me from Herod and from what the Jewish leaders had planned to do to me!” Acts 12:6-10 NLT

Peter didn't hesitate, ask any questions, doubt or refuse to obey God's command sent through an angel of the Lord. He quickly obeyed and followed. As a result, Peter was freed from prison by the power of God and received a miracle! If Peter would have disobeyed, he would have received terrible Christian persecution from King Herod.

Not only does obedience lead to blessings, but obedience can also save us from death. It's so important that we choose God's plans over our own because He will ALWAYS go above & beyond our plans, doubts, and expectations.