How to Trust God’s Perfect Timing

I went to church with my parents and my grandparents from the time I could walk until I was about 12 years old. I was baptized at the age of 12. Right before my teenage years, right before I moved to another state again - I got baptized. I was born again as a Christian.

I was saved before life had even really begun. Before I faced the more harsh sides of this world. I gained the knowledge and redemption that would later serve me well.

I went through a phase from about 13 to 23 (10 years!!) listening to the enemy’s lies and doubting God and turning away from Him. I never fully believed that God wasn’t there, but I had decided to try and figure life out on my own.

I became a person of the world, selfish and lost. Broken and hurt by the world.

At 23 years old, I was a young mother who had just become unemployed. I prayed for the first time in years to find a good job to provide for me and my son. In this prayer I promised that if He would help me, I would change. It felt a little selfish asking something of God when I hadn’t talked to Him in so long, but I still had hope that He would come through. And He did. He always has.

Just days after that prayer, I received a call for an interview. I got the job! At this new job, I met a kind Christian man and we started dating. Him and my son get along so well, and I truly believe God is working through all 3 of us. This relationship has helped bring me closer to God, and that is how I know it was sent by Him. I didn't expect to find a relationship by praying for a new job, but God always surprises us and He gives us more than we even know to ask for.

That’s not to say we don't still have our own struggles. I have a hard time letting go of my own way, and trying to make my own plans, in my own timing. I have to stop and remember that God has brought me this far, and know that He never fails. Even when things have gone wrong in my life, God has always protected me from worse outcomes.

5 Truths to Help you Trust God's Perfect Timing:

1. You are safe in God's hands, you do not have to worry about your future.

”In their hearts humans plan their course, but the Lord establishes their steps.“ Proverbs 16: 9

I can feel when I am working in tune with God’s timing, because things happen naturally. But when I start to forge ahead on my own, without asking God to make the way, I always run into obstacles, I am always stressed and I am exhausted. When we let God hold the burden of the timing of our lives, we can truly enjoy the moment, and we can focus on doing what we can to work towards where He is leading us.

2. God has good intentions for you.

”For I know the plans I have for you,“ declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Jeremiah 29: 11

When we get caught up in the stress of planning our own way, we miss the small blessings that the Lord brings into our lives daily. A rainbow in the sky, someone holding the door for you, someone paying ahead for your coffee, or a kind compliment from a stranger. We do not appreciate the joy of these tiny moments when we are carrying the burdens that God is supposed to be holding for us. He wants you to be happy. He wants you to let go of stress about money, work, politics, wars and rumors of wars, all of the things that vie for our attention daily.

I pray that you find rest in knowing that your God has plans to prosper you and to not harm you.

3. God is Trustworthy

"For in Him, all things were created: things in Heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through Him and for Him. He is before all things, and in Him, all things hold together" Colossians 1: 16-17

He is before all things, He is all-knowing. He knows what you struggle with, what you are feeling. He has worked everything out for your good. When we are uncertain, when we feel unheard, remember that you were created by a sovereign King for His glory. We may change dramatically over the course of our lives, but God is unchanging. He will always be the God that loves you. That sees you. That is with you.

4. God is always on time

"He has made everything beautiful in its time." Ecclesiastes 3:11

Sometimes our waiting is not God saying "No" to what we want. But He is using that waiting time to prepare us for what we are praying for. If we got everything we ever wanted today, would we truly appreciate it? Would we be at the maturity level to fully receive it and make the most of it? He knows us better than anyone. You may be in a season of waiting right now, but you are not forgotten.

5. God hears your prayers

"Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek Me and find Me when you seek Me with all your heart. I will be found by you." Jeremiah 12-14

When you don't know what else to do, PRAY! When you're not sure what direction you're supposed to go, ask for His guidance. When you feel distant from God, talk to Him! He wants to hear from you.

When you are struggling to wait on God’s timing, try the following:

• Remember one situation where God brought something even better than what you hoped for.

• Remember one time that by not getting what you thought you wanted, you were saved from heartbreak.

• Remember these 3 names of God: Abba (Father), El Roi (The God Who Sees), Emmanuel (God is With Us)

• Trust that whatever He is bringing to you is far better than anything you’ve lost.