| Its Christmas again. At this time of the year you or | | | | than the earth, so are my ways higher than your |
| someone you know may be feeling afraid, angry | | | | ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts" (Isaiah |
| confused, depressed, discouraged, embarrassed, | | | | 55:9). Can this also mean that God's timing is not the |
| empty, frustrated, guilty, hopeless, hurt, lonely, | | | | same as our timing? Let's talk about some of these |
| rebellious, sad, tempted, threatened, troubled, used, | | | | timing issues. |
| useless, vengeful, weak or worried? | | | | Throughout the Old Testament, we see countless |
| No matter how you feel I want to bring you words | | | | godly men and women praying fervently for the |
| of hope and comfort this Christmas. As you know I | | | | Messiah to appear. In fact, all of Israel as a nation |
| always love sharing God's goodness with you. Jesus | | | | prayed for this great event to occur, and their |
| loves you and cares about you and wants you to | | | | prayers covered many generations over hundreds of |
| have his love and peace of mind during this festive | | | | years. For the vast majority, these prayers were not |
| period. | | | | answered within their lifetime. |
| Recently I heard a testimony that really got me | | | | All these people were still living by faith when they |
| thinking about the importance of God's timing. It was | | | | died. They did not receive the things promised; they |
| a mother who had spent 20 years praying for her | | | | only saw them and welcomed them from a distance. |
| daughter to be saved. When ten years had passed, | | | | And they admitted that they were aliens and |
| the woman became discouraged. After 12 years, she | | | | strangers on earth," read Hebrews 11. |
| began to question God, wondering what was going | | | | Does that mean, however, that God did not hear |
| on. During the fifteenth year, she started to doubt | | | | those prayers? Not at all! We know that God did, |
| the value and power of prayer. | | | | indeed, send His Son, the Messiah. For the bible says, |
| By eighteen years, she was seriously thinking of | | | | " When the fullness of the time had come, God sent |
| quitting. When 20 years had passed, she had come | | | | forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, |
| to the conclusion that her prayers were not working | | | | in the fullness of God's time, according to His own |
| and resolved to quit praying the next day. That very | | | | schedule - Galatians 4:4. |
| night, her daughter called to announce that she had | | | | The Bible contains many other examples of God |
| accepted Jesus as her Savior! Greatly humbled, this | | | | working within the framework of His own timing. |
| mother begged God to forgive her for doubting Him. | | | | Consider the birth of Samuel: Hannah prayed |
| She was horrified to think that she might have given | | | | continually for a child and, though she kept strong in |
| up her own faith because she failed to see the work | | | | her faith, it must have seemed to her that God |
| God was doing, behind the scenes, in the life of her | | | | "delayed" His answer. |
| daughter. | | | | However, God was waiting until the circumstances to |
| Many Christians struggle with impatience, wondering | | | | which Samuel was called were orchestrated, so that |
| whether God really listens to or answers prayers. | | | | Samuel could fulfill God's destiny for him. We see the |
| They have failed to reconcile themselves to the fact | | | | same thing happening again and again-in the lives of |
| that God does not go by a human clock or calendar. | | | | Moses, Jonah, Isaac, David, and others. What |
| He operates within the scope of His own divine | | | | appears to human eyes as a "failure" in God's |
| timing. For God has said, "those who hope in the Lord | | | | response time is, in fact, merely a time of "invisible |
| will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like | | | | preparation," during which the strategic elements of |
| eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will | | | | God's plan are being put in place, piece by piece, for |
| walk and not be faint"- Isaiah 40. | | | | an ultimate glorious result. |
| Have you ever looked back on an event in your life | | | | Don't allow yourself to become like many people in |
| and in retrospect, realized that God's hand was at | | | | today's "time-conscious" world who, demand speed |
| work, even though you did not really see any results | | | | and instant gratification in areas as diverse as fast |
| at the time? I remember a particular time in my life | | | | food, amusement park rides, and ultra fast computer |
| when I was believing God for something. I prayed | | | | modems, and find it hard to adapt to an unseen plan |
| and fasted and it looked in the physical like nothing | | | | and supernatural timetable set for them by a loving |
| was happening. | | | | Father, who have said in his word, "For I know the |
| I gave up praying on it and shortly after it came to | | | | plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to |
| pass. Perhaps you are in that position right now, | | | | prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you |
| seriously questioning whether God is really working in | | | | hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and |
| your life, but he has promised you this, "I will maintain | | | | come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. |
| my love to you forever, and my covenant with you | | | | Jeremiah 29:11-12. |
| will never fail- Psalm 89:28. | | | | I challenge you to trust that God will take action in a |
| I encourage you to believe that God does listen and | | | | "timely" manner in your situations. You must |
| act upon 'your prayers! If you worry that you are | | | | remember, though, that He carefully considers the |
| not being heard, or God is "avoiding" giving you an | | | | timing of each event, measuring it against His own |
| answer, you need to see that long before you realize | | | | plan for the great scope of things. Remind yourself, |
| it, God is already at work, changing circumstances | | | | too, that He operates according to an eternal |
| and putting things in place. God says | | | | calendar calculated to bring about the most good in |
| "you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and | | | | your life. |
| I will listen to you"- Jeremiah 29:12. | | | | Please always open your mouth and speak out your |
| "Before they call I will answer; while they are still | | | | prayers in faith. The Word of God creates as we |
| speaking I will hear. Isaiah 65:24. | | | | speak it out of our mouth. So speak it out. The |
| 'Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great | | | | creative power is in the spoken Word. |
| and unsearchable things you do not know"-Jeremiah | | | | Now say a Prayer: I Praise the Lord. I Praise God in |
| 33:3. | | | | his sanctuary; I praise him in his mighty heavens. I |
| This are his promises to you, does that sound like | | | | Praise him for his acts of power; I praise him for his |
| someone who does not care? The bible says, "The | | | | surpassing greatness. I Praise him with the sounding |
| Lord will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs | | | | of the trumpet, I praise him with the harp and lyre, I |
| in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. | | | | praise him with tambourine and dancing, I praise him |
| You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring | | | | with the strings and flute, I praise him with the clash |
| whose waters never fail- Isaiah 58:11. | | | | of cymbals, and I praise him with resounding cymbals. |
| David said about God, "Come and listen, all you who | | | | Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. |
| fear God; let me tell you what he has done for me. | | | | God, please give me the wisdom and grace to be |
| "I cried out to him with my mouth; his praise was on | | | | patient and trust you for your perfect timing as I |
| my tongue. If I had cherished sin in my heart, the | | | | remain in an attitude of praise and thanksgiving. Help |
| Lord would not have listened; but God has surely | | | | me, Father, to be mindful that as I pray, you are |
| listened and heard my voice in prayer. Praise be to | | | | putting together the elements necessary to answer |
| God, who has not rejected my prayer or withheld his | | | | my prayers in a way that is consistent with your will. |
| love from me! Psalm 66:16-20. | | | | Thank you Father and happy Christmas to you Lord |
| We know that our ways are not the same as God's | | | | in Jesus name I pray. Amen. |
| ways. The bible says, "For as the heavens are higher | | | | |