“Delay”, “Wait”, “Not Yet” ... These are few of the words that we hate to hear and often test our patience and faith in Whom we trust. In this swiftly transforming world, we often impose near deadlines and we desire things to happen immediately, tolerating no delays. Be it achieving a great career in no time, or finding the right life partner, or starting a family and settling in life, or even attaining all the materialistic possessions so one could retire soon to enjoy the rest of their lives.
What appears to be a delay for us is never a delay for God Almighty. It’s always on track according to His Masterplan. Perhaps, when you are reading this you might feel that you have missed the deadlines to achieve the success that you had once dreamt of or the healing that you had always longed for and there is no hope at the end of the tunnel. Understand that God can resurrect the dead dreams and revive them in due time.
In John 11 we can see the death of Lazarus whose family Jesus really loved. However as soon as Jesus realized the Lazarus was sick, Jesus didn’t travel immediately to his house. Instead Jesus stayed where he was two more days because He had strong faith mentioned in John 11:4 But when Jesus heard it he said, “This illness does not lead to death. It is for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it.” Four days after the death of Lazarus when Jesus came to his home, Lazarus’ sisters Mary and Martha thought that the period for a miracle or a healing was long overdue and nothing was possible to regain their brother’s life. John 11: 21, 32 says “Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” “Now when Mary came to where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet, saying to him, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.””
But Jesus assures them in verse 40, “Jesus said to her, “Did I not tell you that if you believed you would see the glory of God?””
And we see in the next couple of verses, “And Jesus lifted up his eyes and said, “Father, I thank you that you have heard me. I knew that you always hear me, but I said this on account of the people standing around, that they may believe that you sent me.” When he had said these things, he cried out with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out.” The man who had died came out, his hands and feet bound with linen strips, and his face wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Unbind him, and let him go.””
It took no time for Jesus to resurrect a dead man back to life and change the mourning of their family into a joyous occasion. The same God can work in your life and change the stagnant areas in your life into a miracle that you had been waiting for all these years. It’s never too late for Jesus to act in your life. All it takes for you to see God moving in your circumstances is a bit of faith in God. You need to trust that God doesn’t bring any delays or denials into your life and He always acts at His appointed time according to His wonderful plans. God acts at the perfect time when all your circumstances are against you so that you and the rest around you can truly understand that this indeed is the hand of God moving in favor of you.
George Muller once said, “Faith does not operate in the realm of the possible. There is no glory for God in that which is humanly possible. Faith begins where man’s power ends.”
If God has promised you something, He will definitely make that into a reality. 2 Corinthians 1:20 says “For all the promises of God in Him are Yes, and in Him Amen, to the glory of God through us.” We need to be patient for Him to act in His appointed time. The LORD had promised to Abraham in a vision that he will have a son of his own flesh and blood and he will be his heir. In Genesis 15:5, 6 it goes like this “Look toward heaven, and number the stars, if you are able to number them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your offspring be.” And he believed the Lord, and he counted it to him as righteousness. But this didn’t take place immediately. Abraham had to faithfully wait for a long 25 years for the birth of his son Issac. The situations weren’t favourable for Abraham and his wife Sarah as they were already well advanced in years and Sarah knew she was past the age of childbearing. But God reiterates His promise to Abraham in a direct encounter in Genesis 18: 10, 13, 14 The Lord said, “I will surely return to you about this time next year, and Sarah your wife shall have a son.” The Lord said to Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh and say, ‘Shall I indeed bear a child, now that I am old?’ Is anything too hard for the Lord? At the appointed time I will return to you, about this time next year, and Sarah shall have a son.” It was impossible for a couple at such an old age to bear a child, but God’s promises still stood true and it took place at the appointed time irrespective of the circumstances. Nothing is too difficult for our God to act upon in your life if you surrender those problems into His hands.
I had to wait long years in trying to find the right life partner. Patience is an attribute that I always lack and this waiting period was too difficult for me. I was restless and broken-hearted everytime God asked me to wait patiently and when He signalled “Not yet”! Years before this waiting period had started, God had promised “Your future is safe in my hands!” and over the process I should have blindly trusted God and put complete hope in Him. Instead, I often mistook God’s direction to “ Wait “ as “Denied”. It’s easy for one to lose all hope in looking at the circumstances surrounding us. But if we look unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, we will never be disappointed. It’s only after I surrendered everything completely into His mighty hands that I saw God working miracles in my situation. When my family and myself stopped all efforts of ours, God started to make His planned moves. Looking back, I must confess that God’s timing was perfect! The waiting period shaped my perspectives and helped me to truly be grateful for the gift that God had set apart for me.
There is an appointed time set by Heavenly Father for everything. Ecclesiastes 3: 1-2 says
For everything there is a season,
a time for every activity under heaven.
A time to be born and a time to die.
A time to plant and a time to harvest.
We see God has set exact times for the rising and setting of the sun, seasons, 9 months wait time for the birth of a child, birth of other animals, life of flowers and stages in the life of mankind. These times can have negative effects if they are too late or too early. Instead He has destined these to happen at the perfect time.
In the same manner, God has set an appointed time for His second coming. In Luke 21 Jesus talks about some of the signs of the end times. Then he added, “Nation will go to war against nation, and kingdom against kingdom.There will be great earthquakes, and there will be famines and plagues in many lands, and there will be terrifying things and great miraculous signs from heaven.
“And there will be strange signs in the sun, moon, and stars. And here on earth the nations will be in turmoil, perplexed by the roaring seas and strange tides. People will be terrified at what they see coming upon the earth, for the powers in the heavens will be shaken. Then everyone will see the Son of Man coming on a cloud with power and great glory. So when all these things begin to happen, stand and look up, for your salvation is near!”
Then he gave them this illustration: “Notice the fig tree, or any other tree. When the leaves come out, you know without being told that summer is near. In the same way, when you see all these things taking place, you can know that the Kingdom of God is near. I tell you the truth, this generation will not pass from the scene until all these things have taken place. Heaven and earth will disappear, but my words will never disappear.
We can be sure that according to this appointed time for the second coming of Jesus Christ, it’s never too far away. Let us be prepared like the wise bridesmaids waiting eagerly to meet their bridegroom in Matthew 25 who had taken their lamps and extra oil for it. Let us not be unprepared like the foolish bridesmaids who had never taken any oil with them. As is mentioned in Habakkuk 2:3 For still the vision awaits its appointed time; it hastens to the end—it will not lie. If it seems slow, wait for it; it will surely come; it will not delay.
Be assured that we serve a God who works at an appointed time. Surrender whatever is too hard for you to God and expect God to move in your difficult situations when it’s nearly impossible in your sight. He is a God who can revive hopes and dreams and turn mourning into dancing. Wait for His appointed time!
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