My daughter bought a used car a few years ago, and from all initial indications we had, the engine ran well. One morning not long after she had bought the car I received a call from her. She told me that the car was starting rough and making all kinds of noises. I came home to check out the car, and after some investigation I eliminated most of the easy fixes that I knew to look for and make. I called my mechanic and described what I was hearing and experiencing with the car, and he advised me to have it towed to his shop so that he could take a look at it.
I made good use of my AAA membership and had the car towed to his shop. The next day he called me back and informed me that the timing belt mechanism was the cause of the noises the car was making, and that it would all need to be replaced. I gave him the OK to do the work, and he did the repairs. He advised me that had the timing belt mechanism went out while my daughter was driving, it would have ruined the engine.
When the timing is off in an engine, the inner workings of the motor and the crankshaft are no longer synchronized, causing them to go awry and cause major damage to the motor. The engine doesn’t fire correctly, doesn’t crank correctly, and will damage or destroy parts made to work in conjunction with each other. To a mechanic, engine timing is a major issue to keep in synch. The engine will not run properly without it. With no engine, the car will not move. It won’t function the way it was designed to.
Life is the same way. Timing is involved in nearly everything we do. Being on time is important if you want to catch your plane or enjoy your reservation at your favorite restaurant. Whether you are on time or not will often have an impact on if you enjoy things as they had been meant to be.
God’s Timing Is For Maximum Effect
Many years ago I was waiting for something to happen in my life and I must admit I began to grow impatient. After a time of waiting I asked the Lord what was taking so long. His reply to me changed the way I look at things, and has been a reference point for me ever since.
He spoke to my heart and said, “You can have things now in your timing, or you can have them in mine. Know this, My timing is for maximum effect. You can have your results, or My results.”
As I pondered on that thought it occurred to me that I wanted His results in my life. His results were always going to be for my good. To have His results would require me to give up on setting my own time table. He sees from the beginning to the end, and He would set his point for things to happen where they would achieve His will and all that He had intended for them to accomplish.
I replied back to Him that I wanted His results. And I waited. And waited. Then one day many months later I saw things fall into place, and they were beyond what I had imagined. I had waited on His timing, and had received His results.
I’ve followed that wisdom many times since that day. There are things I waited years on before seeing them come to pass, but I’ve never been disappointed in the results. His timing is indeed for maximum effect – and that maximum effect takes into consideration far more than just you or me. Most of your life is interwoven with the lives of others, and they are all taken into consideration by Him as he moves in many lives as they come together and intersect. His timing takes all of that into account.
God’s Timing In The Bible
The concept of God having a specific timing set forth for specific events is one that carries through the entirety of the Bible. The first presentation of this is in Genesis chapter 1, as God displays a specific plan and timetable as He creates the heavens, the earth, and all that inhabits them. His timetable in the creation was for maximum effect. Look at the results that were produced. The beauty and majesty of creation is evident around us every moment.
We find God telling Sarah that she would have a child according to an appointed time (Gen. 18:14), God setting an appointed time for a plague to occur in Egypt (Exodus 9:4-6), and of an angel speaking to Daniel of things to come in their appointed time (Daniel 8:18-20).
Jesus was also aware of God’s timing in His life. He didn’t rush to pursue what He knew was His destiny. Instead, He waited until He was 30 years old, and then began His earthly ministry according to the plan of God. Even while in His ministry, He was keenly aware of timing in His ministry. There were specific events that were to take place at specific times. (See John 2:4, John 7:8, Matt. 26:18)
In the plan of God there are events that are ordained and a timing chosen by God that is associated to that event. It’s that timing that contains His blessing. Those years back when He asked me whose timing I wanted – this concept was what He wanted me to understand. I could pursue things in my own timing, and forfeit the blessing contained in God’s timing. If I chose to forego my desires and sought after Him for His timing, I could have His results when things came to their appointed time.
God’s Timing = God’s Results
Isn’t that what we all would really like? To have God’s results in our lives?
God’s timing. It’s a key to having His results in your life. To have his timing, you will have to give up your desire to pursue your own timing. You will have to live in a patient trust that God’s timing will produce the results in your life that will bring you peace, joy, and hope. You will have to come to a place where you trust that He knows what He is doing with your life – and then take the time to ask Him what His timing for you is.
It’s not an easy to question to ask at first, because you will probably not get the answer you want. Like me. I didn’t want the question I received. I would have preferred to have gotten a simple time frame. As is always the case, God was more concerned with where my heart was, and He desired to teach me how to trust Him and His timing for my life. He knew that in getting me to that place, He could then produce His results in my life. His desire to grow me in His ways motivated the question He posed.
Do you have things that you are trusting God to do in your life? Is there a dream in your heart that you are waiting to see become reality in your life? If you are pursuing a dream that God has given you, it has a timing He has assigned for it. To rush it will cost you forfeiting God’s results, as His timing is indeed for maximum effect. We have His promise that we will reap a harvest of blessing if we stick to His timing:
Galatians 6:9 – So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up. NLT
Asking for and seeking after God’s timing will place you in His will, and His blessing. The ripples that His timing causes will affect not only yourself, but others as well. Just as God told Abraham that He would bless him so that He could be a blessing to others, God desires to do the same through you. In His time, according to His plan. You are a blessing with a destination and a delivery date.
