Acts 1:6-8
While the apostles were still with Jesus, they asked him, "Lord, are you now going to give Israel its own king again?" Jesus said to them, "You don't need to know the time of those events that only the Father controls. But the Holy Spirit will come upon you and give you power. Then you will tell everyone about me in Jerusalem, in all Judea, in Samaria, and everywhere in the world."
Scripture taken from the Contemporary English Version © 1991,1992, 1995 by American Bible Society, Used by Permission.
Some friends and I were visiting about a particular situation, and one of them said, “I don’t know why it took so long to resolve this. Why didn’t God show us the solution sooner?” And surely we have all asked this question at one time or another. We wonder why God doesn’t open our eyes to some things or soften our hearts sooner in specific situations. To a person, we agreed that often, we simply do not understand – or accept - God’s perfect timing.
When we look back at certain events in our lives, we may ask, “How did I not see this? What took me so long?” What we should be asking is, “What was God showing me? How was I growing during this time? How did God specifically work in and through this to accomplish things I could not envision?” Just as importantly, we should now be asking, “What is God doing in this situation? How is He using me? How am I growing, and what am I learning?”
Trusting God’s timing is such a hard thing for us. We are all impatient and unwilling to release control – at least to some degree. We have a very hard time accepting that God will do a far better job with things than we ever could… and He really doesn’t need our meddling! At the same time, God may very well need our help to accomplish His will. If we will truly submit to Him completely, surrender our desires to offer our two-cents worth, and hear what He has to say… He can use us to work in amazing ways – and bless us in the bargain.
What do you need to give to God today? I know I have several things on my list, and if you are honest, you probably have a few of your own. What “if onlys” to you need to release and accept that God worked in and through those situations to accomplish great things? What is He preparing you to accomplish in the upcoming days/weeks/months? Are you attuned, humbled, and ready to listen – and serve? Shouldn’t you be?
©2012 Debbie Robus
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