Trust . . . His Timing

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Ecclesiastes 3:1-8, 11 (KJV)

1. To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:
2. A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted;
3. A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up;
4. A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;
5. A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;
6. A time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away;
7. A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;
8. A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace.

11. He hath made every thing beautiful in his time: also he hath set the world in their heart, so that no man can find out the work that God maketh from the beginning to the end.

The Bible tells us that God not only decrees (wills) all things that occur, He also has a specific time for those things to occur. As Solomon says, "He makes all things beautiful in His time . . ."

1. God's time is not our time . . . "He makes every thing beautiful in his time . . ."
   Isn't it funny how time can be viewed so differently? Three hours at a ballgame is nothing compared to thirty minutes in church. Sixty-year-olds and six-year-olds see a year differently.
   1. He sees the end from the beginning . . .
      "He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end" (Ecclesiastes 3:11 NIV).
      This principle is one to remember when you are in the midst of affliction when you can't see the good. "He works all things together for good" (Romans 8:28) is in His time, not yours.
   2. He fulfills plans and never panics . . .
      "Be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slow concerning his promise . . ." (II Peter 3:8-9). Remember this principle when you are not yet married, or looking for a job, etc. . . .
2. God's timing is always perfect . . . "He makes every thing beautiful in his time . . ."
   God ordained that Christ die for sinners. The Jews sought to kill Him (Luke 4:30; John 8:59), but could not lay a hand on him because his "time had not yet come" (John 7:6). Jesus later said, "the time cometh" (John 16:25), and then "my time is at hand" (Matthew 26:18). Christ died on the cross at the precise time and moment that God intended for Him to die (Daniel 9:35).
   1. There is a future blessing in waiting upon the Lord . . .
      "Wait on the Lord: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say on the Lord" (Psalm 26:14). Isaiah promised "renewal" for those that wait on the Lord.
   2. There is a future heartbreak when you don't wait on the Lord . . .
      Abraham is the example to us all of taking matters into our own hands. He had been promised by God a child, but becoming impatient with God, He took Hagar, his wife's handmaid, and she bore him a son -- Ishmael (Genesis 16). Later Isaac was born to Sarah. The conflict between Ishmael and Isaac continues to this day (Arabs vs. Jews).
3. God's timing is to be trusted . . . "He makes every thing beautiful in his time . . ."
   There is a song that says, "When you can't trace His hand, trust His heart." Sometimes you will not be able to understand God's timing in your life, but trust His heart for you.
   1. You don't need to know God's timing . . .
      Jesus said, "It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power" (Acts 1:7). God is in control of the times and the seasons of life.
   2. When something isn't happening, keep his way . . .
      "Wait on the Lord and keep his way" (Psalm 37:4). The problem Christians have is they want something good, but they violate principles in God's Word to obtain it. A perfect example of this is marrying a non-Christian because "I couldn't wait forever!"
   3. Impatience and anxiety is the obvious sign of distrust . . .
      "Without faith (trust) it is impossible to please God." Have faith in God's timing.

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