Trust in the Lord with all your heart;
do not depend on your own understanding.
Seek His will in all you do, and He will show you which path to take.
Proverbs 3:5-6 (NLT)
Series Focus: “A Time for Everything”
I have a confession—but I will share that in a moment.
I am not a fan of waiting. Are you? In this series, “A Time for Everything,” Maryann and I have focused on the truth in scripture describing for us how perfect God’s timing is in our lives. He knows us, He loves us, and He has a purpose for us. In every season and every day He is the author and perfecter. So, shouldn’t we feel more confident in the various seasons of our lives? We should, but why and how? This is where my confession comes in:
For most of my life, I never found contentment in the Sovereignty of God.
As a self-proclaimed type “A” personality, extrovert, and lover of being in control of my circumstances, relishing in the sovereignty of God just didn’t line up. Instead of rejoicing in God accomplishing His divine purpose in my life, I wanted to give Him my ideas, outcomes, and timeframes. This doesn’t sound like someone God would choose to share the Hope of Christ, does it? But here we are.
By no conscious effort of my own, God stirred my desire to know Him more completely. As I dwell in His presence and witness His faithfulness, I now delight in the undeniable beauty of His sovereignty! He is all powerful and in complete control of His creation from everlasting to everlasting. He makes everything beautiful in its time. Yes, even those hard to understand moments, when we walk through trials and heartache.
Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, from everlasting to everlasting! Amen and Amen. (Psalm 41:13 ESV)
Furthermore, because we are united with Christ, we have received an inheritance from God, for He chose us in advance, and He makes everything work out according to His plan. (Ephesians 1:11 NLT)
Jesus is our perfect model. From the beginning of His ministry, the Father ordered His steps. Although He performed many wondrous deeds, He did not declare publicly that He was the Messiah until it was the right time. Jesus, our Savior, waited upon His Father, trusted the timing, and brought forth God’s perfect plan of salvation for us. We find beauty in the crucifixion’s tragedy because God did not waiver in His perfect plan.
In the first week of this series, Maryann reminded us, change is an ever-present factor in our lives. Like it or hate it, “we can’t seem to stop the roller coaster of change.” We find our hope in the truth that God never changes. His love for us never fails. His character is the same forever. Let’s look at Hebrews 13:8 (NASB) again:
Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today, and forever.
Refocus your mind upon God’s precious sovereignty and rest in His unchanging love. Seek Him in the stillness, praise Him in the storm, and abide in His word, which stands forever. God’s timing is never early and has never been late. Hallelujah!
“For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven:” (Ecclesiastes 3:1 ESV)
Holding Fast to Hope,
Jen
Scripture References: Proverbs 3:5-6; Psalm 41:13, 18:40, 119:5; Ephesians 1:11; Jeremiah 29:11; Hebrews 13:8; Ecclesiastes 3:1-9