In God's Time
"Can I have it now?"
If you have children or raised children, or even spent a lot of time around children, you are familiar with this phrase. We all want instant gratification, but children seem to be more adept at blurting it out.
The last several times we have driven past a particular play ground in our community, my daughter has asked me if she could get out and slide down the slide just one time. Of course, she asks this when we are on our way to a scheduled event (and we're already late) or on our way home from the grocery store with bag of melting frozen food. When the time is right, (and I will take my daughter to the playground), we will go to the playground and spend more time than it takes to slide down the slide one time.
"Timing is everything" we hear so often. It is that way in our lives, and it is the same in God's economy.
Have you ever asked God for something and then wondered why He didn't hurry up and answer? In Daniel chapter 9, there is recorded the prayer of Daniel for God's people. Daniel fasted and put on sackcloth and ashes and cried out to the Lord. Finally, the angel Gabriel comes to Daniel with an answer, "At the beginning of your pleas for mercy a word went out, and I have come to tell it to you, for you are greatly loved. Therefore consider the word and understand the vision." (Daniel 9:23, 24 ESV) We don't know how much time passed between the time Daniel began praying and the time that God answered, but we do know two things: God greatly loved Daniel, and He sent out an answer as soon as Daniel prayed.
I find this a great comfort, because sometimes trials seem to go on forever, or the prayers I pray seem to go unanswered, or it seems God is telling me to wait until the time is right. The truth is we are greatly loved by God. He cares about our needs and our desires; He answers when we call on Him. "He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?" (Romans 8:32, ESV)
I love my daughter, and I want to give her something she enjoys doing, but the timing has to be right. In a much greater way, God loves us. He gave us the thing that was the most dear to Him. He will freely answer our prayers when the time is right.
If you have children or raised children, or even spent a lot of time around children, you are familiar with this phrase. We all want instant gratification, but children seem to be more adept at blurting it out.
The last several times we have driven past a particular play ground in our community, my daughter has asked me if she could get out and slide down the slide just one time. Of course, she asks this when we are on our way to a scheduled event (and we're already late) or on our way home from the grocery store with bag of melting frozen food. When the time is right, (and I will take my daughter to the playground), we will go to the playground and spend more time than it takes to slide down the slide one time.
"Timing is everything" we hear so often. It is that way in our lives, and it is the same in God's economy.
Have you ever asked God for something and then wondered why He didn't hurry up and answer? In Daniel chapter 9, there is recorded the prayer of Daniel for God's people. Daniel fasted and put on sackcloth and ashes and cried out to the Lord. Finally, the angel Gabriel comes to Daniel with an answer, "At the beginning of your pleas for mercy a word went out, and I have come to tell it to you, for you are greatly loved. Therefore consider the word and understand the vision." (Daniel 9:23, 24 ESV) We don't know how much time passed between the time Daniel began praying and the time that God answered, but we do know two things: God greatly loved Daniel, and He sent out an answer as soon as Daniel prayed.
I find this a great comfort, because sometimes trials seem to go on forever, or the prayers I pray seem to go unanswered, or it seems God is telling me to wait until the time is right. The truth is we are greatly loved by God. He cares about our needs and our desires; He answers when we call on Him. "He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?" (Romans 8:32, ESV)
I love my daughter, and I want to give her something she enjoys doing, but the timing has to be right. In a much greater way, God loves us. He gave us the thing that was the most dear to Him. He will freely answer our prayers when the time is right.
Comments
That is a sweet story of your pen name in honor of your father.
Come over to my blog and say hi, if you care to.
http://terragarden.blogspot.com