‘God’s time’
Faith series devotion from message given 13.07.25 by Jason Shiels
16 Now Sarai, Abram’s wife, had borne him no children. But she had an Egyptian slave named Hagar; 2 so she said to Abram, “The Lord has kept me from having children. Go, sleep with my slave; perhaps I can build a family through her.”
Abram agreed to what Sarai said. 3 So after Abram had been living in Canaan ten years, Sarai his wife took her Egyptian slave Hagar and gave her to her husband to be his wife. 4 He slept with Hagar, and she conceived.
When she knew she was pregnant, she began to despise her mistress. 5 Then Sarai said to Abram, “You are responsible for the wrong I am suffering. I put my slave in your arms, and now that she knows she is pregnant, she despises me. May the Lord judge between you and me.” Genesis 16:1-5
One of the hardest things to learn to do is to wait! Waiting is something that we have to do as we pursue God’s will and purpose. However as we learned on Sunday there is a good and a weak way to wait!
a. Good way to wait – faith waits with expectancy and hope. Isaiah 40 teaches us that ‘those who wait (hope: Qavah in Hebrew, literally – ‘to bind oneself with twisting, to cling to’)) upon the Lord will renew their strength)
b. Weak way to wait – this is where hope is stolen or we are just too frustrated to wait patiently any longer! Others are good at the waiting part but have drifted into resignation, so that their waiting has become passive and devoid of expectation.
It seems like God has wisdom even on how we are to ‘wait’ upon His timing!
Genesis 16 is worth reading as a lesson on how not to wait upon the Lord. This is where PLAN B is used to try and bring about God’s plan through impatience, human wisdom and manipulation of events. God had an ‘Isaac’ provision for them.
Read 1 Samuel 13:5-14 for the ultimate Biblical example of impatience that is actually seen as disobedience.
God has a timing for things! He is always on time and never ‘late’, but this comes from understanding ‘God’s time’ rather than everything needing to be done at our pace and agenda.
Joseph is another incredible example of having to learn about ‘God’s kairos moments’ or ‘God’s time’. Even after interpreting the cupbearers (and baker’s) dream correctly, the butler ignored Joseph’s request to “remember me and show me kindness.” Genesis 40:14. He had to wait another two long years in prison, waiting and wondering would he ever see God’s promise fulfilled! He was eventually released after Pharaoh ‘randomly’ had a dream about a Hebrew prisoner and the cupbearer remembered Joseph!
This typifies God’s Sovereign action beyond our abilities, wisdom or strength! God is able! God makes the way!
RT Kendall – “God meant it for good” (summary points made)
a. We know that God’s time has arrived when we have come utterly to the end of our own strength (like Joseph, like Abraham and Sarah!)
b. God’s time has come when all Human Resources have failed. When the wisdom and strength of man come to nothing!
c. If we take vindication into our ow hands, the chance is that we are establishing something that God is not building – so God may take it out of our hands and do it in HIs timing and way!
Reflect: Are there any ways in which you have become resigned to settle for a plan B rather than God’s best? Do you understand how God’s power is perfected in our weakness? (2 Corinthians 12:9)? Is your waiting passive or do you have expectancy? Are there are any areas of disappointment or ‘hope deferred’ that you need to deal with so that you can persevere in faith?