The Timing of God

Have any of us ever noticed that when God answers our prayers, it is usually not in the manner or fashion that we thought it would be answered? It is so amazing when we finally see a prayer answered and realize that it usually comes from a completely unexpected direction and in a completely unexpected way. Then, when we take time to think about the blessing, we realize that God’s way turned out to be better than our own.

We all know that God is our provider and that prayer is an act of faith. We also know that God does not answer our prayers based on our own timing, but on His. When we are praying for a specific provision or a specific need, our mindset should be; “I don’t know how and I don’t know when, but I do know that God will always provide.”

We are reminded in Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 about God’s sovereignty and His timing where it says:

“There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens: a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot, a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build, a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance, a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them, a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing, a time to search and a time to give up, a time to keep and a time to throw away, a time to tear and a time to mend, a time to be silent and a time to speak, a time to love and a time to hate, a time for war and a time for peace.”

And there is also a time to have our prayers answered. May we never forget that God’s timing is not our timing and His ways are not our ways. Our responsibility is to have faith that He will bless us and that He will provide for our needs. He is God and He does not change who He is. The truth is that our Heavenly Father has blessed us in the past and He will continue to bless us in our future. 

So let our petitions to our Father in Heaven be grounded in our faith that He is our Provider. Whether the need is physical, emotional, financial or spiritual, God is our provider for them all.

Perhaps the hardest part of any prayer is in the waiting. So let us remember that God does EVERYTHING in His own timing and that His timing is ALWAYS perfect.