Have you ever prayed for something and felt like it was taking a long time to get an answer, or that you have had to go through a hard season for a long time? Every believer will go through seasons of waiting. Timing can make the difference between success and failure, peace and frustration, and joy and sorrow. We live in a world that values instant results — instant coffee, instant downloads, instant gratification. We expect our food to be ready from the time we pay at the drive through window to the time we get to the pick-up window. Though this is the pace of natural life, the Kingdom of God doesn’t operate on human schedules; it operates on divine timing.
Ecclesiastes 3:1 says, “To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven.” Just like we cannot force natural seasons to change, we cannot force the seasons of our lives to move ahead of time. Trust me, if I had the ability to change seasons, I would skip winter and go straight to spring, but I can’t change natural seasons, just as I cannot change spiritual seasons.
A great example of God’s divine timing is the story of Joseph. He was favored by his father, and his jealous brothers sold him into slavery. Genesis 39 details how Joseph was a servant in Potiphar’s house, and how God favored him even in his hard season. He was betrayed by his family and sold into slavery, yet Joseph was favored by God and made the overseer over the household. God knows how to prosper us and sustain us even through trials.
Just as things started to improve for Joseph, Potiphar’s wife falsely accused him of trying to seduce her, and he was imprisoned unjustly. Sometimes obstacles come one after another, but even in prison, God favored Joseph. He granted Joseph favor with the keeper of the prison, who gave Joseph charge over all the other prisoners. Even in prison, Joseph remained faithful and obedient to God. He used his gift of interpreting dreams to help Pharoah’s chief butler and baker. We see in Genesis 40:14-15 that Joseph asked the butler to speak to Pharoah on his behalf. Joseph thought this was his chance to get out, but the butler forgot about Joseph. He remained in prison for two more years until Pharoah needed a dream interpreter. We see then how Joseph is remembered and promoted to second in command of Egypt.
What seemed like a delay was divine design. If Joseph had been released when he wanted, he might have missed the moment when Pharaoh needed an interpreter — the very event that promoted him. He would have been released as a normal, free man, but instead became second in command of Egypt. Because of his ability to interpret dreams, he was able to devise a plan to save many people from famine.
God’s timing aligns with His purpose, not our preferences. When our appointed season arrives, no devil, no delay, and no human can stop it. When it is your time, no one can take your place. Many of us are waiting for God to move in situations in our lives. We can learn from Joseph’s story the importance of obedience and serving in the waiting. Joseph didn’t waste his waiting time. Waiting time is not wasted time. It is a time for God to build our faith, humility, and patience. Waiting reveals what is in your heart. Can you trust God when you don’t see progress?
There is an appointed time for each of us – a time for God to move. We just have to trust the process and wait for our appointed time. When God moves, He moves suddenly and purposefully. We don’t always understand why things happen when they do or why they don’t happen sooner, but we can trust that all things work together for our good.
Saved by Grace 