God’s Timetable

From God’s perspective, His timing is always perfect because He sees the entire plan.  From the human perspective, God’s timing can be frustrating because we so often see little progress toward the fulfillment of promises made in His Word.

The Apostle Paul, in Antioch on a Sabbath day, went to the Synagogue.  Given the opportunity, he said, “The God of the people of Israel chose our fathers; he made the people prosper during their stay in Egypt, with mighty power he led them out of that country, he endured their conduct for forty years in the desert, he overthrew seven nations in Canaan and gave their land to his people as their inheritance." (Acts 13:17-19)

God kept His promises to Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, and Joshua, but He chose to do it in 450 years! More than 2,000 years ago Jesus Christ promised, “...on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.” (Matthew 16:18b)

Jesus was gathered with His disciples in the upper room the night He was betrayed and arrested, and He told them, “In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.” (John 14:2-3)

When Peter and John, and the other disciples, heard Jesus make these promises, they most likely thought that He would fulfill them in a few years.  They never dreamed that He would take millennium!

Making disciples of Jesus Christ, and establishing local churches in any cultural setting is not easy, and often takes much more time than we anticipate.

But the Apostle Paul reminded the church of Corinth that, “I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. The man who plants and the man who waters have one purpose, and each will be rewarded according to his own labor. For we are God's fellow workers; you are God's field, God's building.” (1 Corinthians 3:6-9)

Jesus is building His church throughout the world through His disciples, and He is taking His time in developing them.  His promises are true and will be fulfilled . . . according to His timetable, not ours.

"Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him..." (Psalm 37:7a)

 

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