For God alone my soul waits in silence; from him comes my salvation.

(Psalm 62:1-2 ESV)

From the dawning of time, God’s people have received an immense reward that comes from following this principle of trusting in His timing.

This post and the one to follow (Part 2) in no way can examine the depth of this topic. The purpose here is to cause you to realize there is a God whom we can go to in our times of solace as well as in our times of despair and need. We can approach Him seeking his will as we await his most perfect timing.

Trusting God’s timing is such a mysterious thing that it can be difficult to even get your mind wrapped around…it is beyond comprehension. The Psalmist expresses the almightiness of the Creator over his creation when he says, “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord (Isaiah 55:8). Without question, God’s ways are beyond our comprehension and thoughts, yet He is so personable when we “trust in Him with all our heart” and He promises when we do trust in Him that “He will make your paths straight” (Proverbs 3:6).

The best part is you can trust God’s timing.

We’ve all wondered on occasion if we can truly trust God’s process and his way of doing things. Oh, how we love to be in control of our daily affairs. We think we can get away with doing things on our own only to experience the roof crashing down. We become impatient, fretting outcomes, and so we tell ourselves, “I can take care of this on my own!” The Bible reminds us, “There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death” (Proverbs 14:12).

When it comes to trusting God’s perfect timing, things become supernaturally different; His timetable is so much unlike ours and we have to learn how to “wait and be patient” on Him! When we desire to be transformed by the renewing of our minds we will always find Godly understanding and discernment, not to mention, things will be accomplished according to His good and perfect will (Romans 12:1-4; Hebrews 5:11-14). When we leave things to God we are awestruck in how He works to bring about the impossible at just the right time. Corrie Ten Boom, a WW2 prison camp survivor, spent her life trusting God. She has most famously said, “There is no panic in Heaven.”

God is in control regardless of whether we believe in Him, or not! Nothing is too great for our God to perform and Heaven knows that! You don’t have to fear! There is no panic in heaven. God will accomplish His will at the perfect time for the greatest impact of His kingdom.

Life can bring some of the most harrowing experiences, but when left to God, He can teach us to trust, wait, and to have a patient endurance in the midst of our despair. When we desire to learn how to trust God’s timing in our lives, it’s as though we find ourselves right in the middle of situations where the only option is to be still…so still that we’re able to hear God’s Spirit give us direction and freedom from our circumstances.

Yet, this isn’t a new concept. There are countless stories in the Bible where God comes to the rescue of those who trust in Him. All of these accounts display the perfect intervention of God’s hand when His people trusted in his timing.

– He was there for Elijah as he battled the false prophets of Baal in a contest that was to prove whose God was the “true God.” At the perfect time, God proved His mightiness as He sent fire from heaven (1 Kings 18:36-39).

– He was there for Joshua, Moses’ successor in leading God’s people. First the “feet of the priest who carried the ark” had to touch the waters, then, the waters of the Jordan “from upstream stopped flowing. It piled up in a heap a great distance away. . .” Miraculous timing and trust of the Israelites allowed for them to cross over the Jordan to the Promised Land (Joshua 3:12-13).

– He was there for Nehemiah as he cried out to the God of the heavens to answer his prayers to change the King’s heart so he would be compelled to give Nehemiah his petition to leave Babylon to return to the home of his heritage (Nehemiah 2:1-7).

– He was there for Esther when she was about to approach the King – her trust in God’s timing was amazing – “If I perish I perish.” God was faithful and rescued her (Esther 4:15-16).

– He was there for the royal official who asked Jesus to heal his dying son. Jesus told him his son will live. The father “took Jesus at his word and departed” back to his home knowing Jesus needed only to speak the word and his son would be healed from afar. God’s timing was perfect – even that very hour his son was healed just as Jesus said (John 4:48-54).

– He was there for the Apostle Peter as he was cast into prison, guarded by four squads of four soldiers each, as he awaited his execution. God’s perfect timing miraculously freed him (Acts 12:1-19).

– He was there for Daniel when seeking to understand the King’s dream – he mourned and prayed – never giving up as he trusted God would answer him. Daniel’s prayer that was heard from the very first day of his utterance was delayed for 21 days due to a great spiritual battle in the heavenlies. In the midst of Daniel’s patient endurance, as he awaited God’s timing, an angel of the Lord brought him his response (Daniel 10:2-3, 12).

– He was there in His perfect timing for John the Apostle, the only apostle not martyred for his faith in Christ Jesus. John (now elderly) was sentenced and imprisoned for life on the Island of Patmos. In God’s perfect timing, John wrote the Book of Revelation that we have today (Revelation 1:9-11).

…..and He still does this for us today.

God in His infinite wisdom knows our numbered days; He cares for us and loves us. As His children we are always in His best interest! So, when it comes to trusting His timing, be patient and wait for Him. He is there for you!

In Lisa Appelo’s article, 7 Reasons You Can Trust God’s Perfect Timing, she writes, “God is never late. The corollary? He’s never early. We set up deadlines but God is not bound by any limits.”

Mrs. Charles E. Cowman, eloquently says it this way, “The love of God quite as often withholds the view of the entire distance of the winding path through life. He reveals it to us step by step and from corner to corner. Hence it is necessary to trust Him to lead, for He can see around the bend in the road. He knows what lies ahead, and whether we can cope with the situation now or later. He consults our wants, not our wishes, like a wise and loving Father. His corners are not the end of the way. Corners discipline faith, teach us patience to walk step by step, and fit us for blessing. Because our vision is limited, it causes us to continually seek His guidance” (Streams in the Desert, Vol. 2, Cowman, July 28).

The invisible God of the heavens makes Himself known to anyone who seeks Him with an open heart. The transcendent comes down to earth – Jesus Christ, God’s only Son becomes reality. The Living Word dwells within us who is “full of grace and truth” (John 1:1,14). In this process of our coming to know God and who He is, we also come to trust in His perfect timing! There’s comfort in the Psalmist’s words, “I lean not on my own understanding . . .” (Proverbs 3:5). “It is good to remind ourselves that the will of God comes from the heart of God and that we need not be afraid.” (Warren Wiersbe)

What joy comes when we place our trust and lives into His hands. Such enduring power we are given when we allow our God to be exalted through trusting His timing. In each biblical account above, you can only imagine what “inexpressible joy” and what great measure of faith and personal relationship was formed at each occurrence where God and man collided with such grace given from heaven above. God is waiting to perform great miracles in your life, too, as you wait on His timing. May we never lose our wonder and amazement of what the Lord Jesus Christ has in store for us when we trust in His omniscient plan for our lives.

And the Lord shall guide thee continually (Isaiah 58: 11).