Time Differences

"And at that time I told you everything you were to do”.
Deuteronomy 1:18

While traveling recently with my husband, we experienced a three hour time difference upon arrival of our destination. This was a bit different for us, and we noticed that we were continually checking our watches for the correct time. After awhile I began thinking about how we experience “time differences” not only in the natural or physical way, but in the spiritual sense as well.

 

I believe that the Lord gives us spiritual “charges” if you will. To me this means that He places specific things in our minds and on our hearts in order for us to pray for. These may be people, situations, relationships, places, events, etc. In other words, He places us in “charge” of praying for these things, and He trusts that we will carry this responsibility with the greatest of care.

While on vacation, I noticed that quite frequently my timing was “off”. Even though it “felt” to me that it was the right time for such and such to take place, all I had to do was take a glance at my watch and I would quickly realize that my timing was off again. So it is in spiritual situations as well.

There are times when I can begin to feel discouraged about some of the situations or some of the people that I am praying for. Even though I try my best to be patient, sometimes things just don’t happen as quickly as I’d like them to. Perhaps you can relate to this. I have come to understand that when this happens, there’s a good chance that I need to “reset” my (spiritual) watch in order to get back in sync with the Lord, and with his timing in that specific situation.

The Lord’s timing is always perfect. There are, however, lots of situations that we can read about in the Bible, that it would seemingly appear otherwise. Take the book of Daniel for instance, and the story about Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. To anyone reading the story, it almost certainly would look as if the perfect time for the Lord to have sent help would’ve been before those three men were tied up and placed into the fiery furnace. If you are familiar with the story, then you already know that that was not what took place. Still… I believe you will agree with me, the Lord’s timing was perfect.

Or, we can take a look at the story of Lazarus and the account of his death in the book of John. To many it would seem that in this story also the Lord’s timing was “off”. We can read John 11:6 and choose to think that the Lord should have hurried to the bedside of his beloved friend in order to do all that he could do to save him. That is not what took place, but again, the Lord’s timing was and is perfect.

So it is the same with us. Many times we pray and pray and pray… and we wonder at why the Lord doesn’t answer our prayers or work out the situations in the way in which we think he should. Once again, when we find ourselves in these places, we must stop and ask ourselves if we are lagging behind, or perhaps running ahead… of the Lord and his timing. We must get our steps back in sync with his, and we must allow him to be our guide. It is in this very place, when he is beside us… in which we begin to feel strengthened. It is in this place where we begin to feel our hope beginning to rise once again on the inside of us… and before we know it we are soaring… high above any of the places which we have ever seen or known… until all around us all we can see and all we can feel… is the blessing of hope… for we know and we understand, that in ALL of his ways, he is perfect.

Written by Beverley A. Napier

November 3, 2011