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| Faith: Waiting in Hope |
| God`s Timing |
| by Jim Wandell |
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| Scripture Reading: Psalm 27:13-14 |
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| Due dates and time schedules. Day planners and itineraries. Clocks ticking, meters running all putting requirements of time and time frames on us. |
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| We set our clocks ahead one hour in the Spring and turn our clocks back one hour in the fall. Then we can fly from Philadelphia to Los Angeles and get 3 hours back! |
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| Man`s time and man`s timing. We expect everything done, accomplished, and finished in a “microwave minute”. We have a schedule we must keep and if it means rushing through something to stick to our self-appointed plan, then that is what we do. |
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| But God doesn`t rush or lose control. He doesn`t panic or hurry. He is not desperate. Things may not show up or happen when we think they should, but God is never late. |
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| The world is full of trials and tribulations. God knew what was coming so in His timing He sent His Son. Let me ask you this, Did Jesus save you at the right time? AMEN! Now because of Jesus, even the tribulations of this world have no authority or power over us if we take power and authority over them, because not only did Jesus overcome tribulation, He overcame the whole world for us! |
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| “I have told you these things, so that in Me you may have (perfect) peace and confidence. In the world you have tribulation and trials and distress and frustration; but be of good cheer (take courage; be confident, certain, undaunted)! For I have overcome the world. (I have deprived it of power to harm you and have conquered it |
| for you.)” (John 16:33 AMP) |
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| How many times have you stepped out of the check out line in a store because there were “two whole customers” ahead of you? Or you stepped out because the cashier was a “little slow”. We get very impatient when things don`t go our way and happen when we feel they should happen. We get caught up in the attitude that “its all about me”, rather than maintaining our focus and fixing our hearts on “its all about God”! |
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| In order to have our prayers answered, we must not be impatient and allow ourselves to step out of the spirit and back into the flesh. The flesh will cause us to panic. The flesh says, “Oh, God isn`t going to answer my prayers…He doesn`t want me healed, out of debt, or safe, I have to do something myself and I must do it right now!” |
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| What we must do is have an overcoming faith: a faith that is strong enough to put the flesh right back in its place when it starts to rise up and waiver. A faith that takes the sick out of sickness and blows holes in the evil devices of the enemy. And a faith that moves the mountains of hindrance out of the road of life that we must travel. |
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| You may have spent many hours of frustration and confusion, praying and asking, “When is it going to happen God, when?” It is because in man`s timing we want everything right now. But God is showing us that during these times of waiting, He is stretching our faith in Him and bringing about change and growth in our lives. When we trust in God to do a thing in our lives, most of the time, we have no clue as to how God is going to accomplish it and certainly we don`t know when He will do it either. Those things aren`t our jobs or concern. Our job is to just stand on the promises, trust in Him, and He shall bring it to pass. |
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| His Word promises that He will not be one minute late. Habakkuk 2:3 (AMP) says, “For the vision is yet for an appointed time and it hastens to the end (fulfillment): it will not deceive or disappoint. Though it tarry, wait (earnestly) for it, because it will surely come: it will not be behindhand on its appointed day.” |
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| In chapter 11 of the Gospel of John we learn of Lazarus being raised from the dead. We read how this applies to man`s timing and God`s timing. |
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| Verses 1-6 tells of the “prayer request” made by the asking of Jesus to come and see to Lazarus`s needs, but we see that He waited two days, seeming (in the natural sense) to do nothing. (Read verses 11-15) |
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| Martha (Lazarus` sister) tells Jesus in verses 20-21, that if you had heard and answered, this would have never happened! Further along in this passage, the Jews that were with the family even said, “…could not this man, which opened the eyes of the blind, have caused that even this man should not have died?” |
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| Oh, Jesus, how could you be four days late in meeting this need? How could your timing be so off? Oh, but wait, children of God. Stand back and watch! It is all about God`s timing, and now with all the naysayers, doubtful hearts and minds looking on, the Son of God shows up right on time! (Read verses 38-44) |
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| Spirit, Truth and Deed |
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| Jesus gives us three reasons for what the flesh saw as a delay, but what was in Spirit, truth, and deed, God`s perfect timing: |
| 1. From verse 4, it was done “…for the glory of God, that the Son of God might be glorified thereby (or by it).” All things are to be done in our lives for the Glory of God that He might be glorified in all things. And Jesus not only shared but has given us His Glory for we see in John 17:22, “And the glory which thou gavest Me I have given them; that they may be one, even as We are one.” |
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| 2. From verse 15, we see that this was done, “…to the intent that you may believe.” (AMP), “it will help you to believe, trust in and rely on Me.” Not just the people who witnessed this, but for all of us who would follow in the faith. This was done for us all! |
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| 3. And from verse 40, “…if thou wouldest believe, thou shouldest see the glory of God”. If you will stop looking at the time, just look at me, and just believe, you will see the glory of God manifested in your life! |
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| “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways, says the Lord. For as the Heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts.” (Isaiah 55:8-9) |
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| Isn`t it funny how we try to tell the God of the Universe, Maker of Heaven and Earth, the Great I Am, what to do and how to do it? Then, when He doesn`t take our advice and things don`t happen the way we have them “all figured out”, we get upset with Him! |
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| But our job is not to figure out when or how. Our job is to make up our minds to stay in and operate in the Spirit, and never give up. Just let Almighty God be Almighty God in our lives! |
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| “For yet a little while, and He that shall |
| come will come, and will not tarry. Now the |
| just shall live by faith: but if any man draw back, My soul shall have no pleasure in him.” (Hebrews 10:37-38) |
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| Draw back. Give up, operating in fearful flesh rather than in strong, steady, spiritual faith. God has no pleasure in us and can`t answer our prayers when we withdraw our faith from a situation. We need to do what Jehoshaphat and the tribe of Judah were told to do in II Chronicles 20:17, “…set yourselves, stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord with you…” |
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| This church was set in position in God`s timing. It was established when we all needed it the most. Our most desperate times are not the most crucial points in our lives. |
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| The most crucial points are the times that we are preparing before the desperate times come. Just as you would prepare for a big storm, getting all of your provisions in and making sure you have everything that your family would need, we need to prepare ourselves spiritually before the storm hits. We do that and have done that with time spent in praise and worship. Time spent hearing the message of faith and living it! Time spent in prayer and in the Word of God. If we don`t take the time to do those things, how will we know what to do when the desperate situations arise? How will we know where to turn and where to stand? Prayers slow in getting answered. How would you even know that that they could be answered without the Word of God and preparation in the Spirit? |
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| Jesus told us in John 14:13-14, “…whatsoever you shall ask in My Name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you shall ask any thing in My Name, I will do it.” |
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| We have our Savior`s Word on it. Now it is time for us to act upon that Word by standing in an unwaverivng faith, waiting for His timing on the matter, and the whole time BELIEVING that it WILL come to pass! |
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| Spend more time standing on the promises of God, than making alternative plans. Build up your most Holy faith and hammer away at the walls of doubt that may be surrounding you. Spend more time in praise than in moaning and groaning. And more time watching God`s clock than the clock on the wall. |
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| God wants us to be fully mature believers and no longer children. He doesn`t want us to float here and there when we pray for something. He wants us to stick to what He said and not let go! He wants us to grow in the faith, and as we grow, that faith will access all the benefits that God has for us. And you know what? God`s timing will become our timing! |
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| God has the prefect timing for everything. Place your trust in Him, and at the exact right time, He will bring His will to pass in your life. |
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