One of the reasons so many ministries become discouraged and too often fail is their inability in understanding God’s timing and seasons.  I’ve lived for the Lord for over 4 decades now and served Him in ministry for nearly all of those years.  In my life and ministry, I admit there are few times when God acted when I thought He should.

This has caused much grief and discouragement at times. I’m an action person. When I see a job that needs to be done, I find a way to get it done.  Oftentimes before others even realize there was a need. It frustrates me to see other people drag their feet, when there should be action in a needful situation. Waiting on God then, who does not operate in the same time zone as I do, has been very discouraging at time. (CAN I GET A WITNESS?)

To fully understand the timing in which God operates, we must turn to the scripture. One translation of 2 Pet 3:9 says, “The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish but everyone come to repentance.” 2 Pet 3:9

When reading this scripture, I admit that my mind wants to argue with the writer. In my carnal thinking, I feel that God is very slow in nearly everything that He does. Understanding God’s timing is something like many others, I struggle with.  My natural mind believes He is slow to punish the wicked. It thinks that He is slow in His return. I see the suffering in the world and simply do not understand His delay in correcting it.

However, the reading shows me that He is not slow in keeping His promise, “as some men understand slowness.” The real problem is not with God, but rather with me. I am “some men”. My grasp of His timing is obviously not in line with His understanding of it. You see, He sees this world and all that goes on in it, from a completely different perspective than I do. My perception is from that of a carnal, mortal who’s understanding is limited. His is from that of being an eternal, omniscient, all knowing God.

2 Pet 3:9 shows me that God and I share the same burden to see the lost become saved. However, my understanding of slowness is inaccurate and incomplete. For most of my life I’ve felt that things should happen almost immediately. However, as I have gotten older, I have learned that most often this is not even possible. I have had to learn patience. Understanding God’s timing means I’ve had to wait on people to change. I have had to learn to wait on circumstances to become so difficult for others, that they are forced to change their thinking.  Thus allowing change to come.

2 Peter 3:8 lets us know that to the Lord, a thousand years is like a day. Evidently, time is not something God has to worry about. He does not make decisions based on the clock, calendar or length of men’s lives. He is not in a hurry. He is patient. Time is not a factor for Him. It is for me. It may be for you. It is not for Him.

He does not operate within the elements of or for the purpose of time. He only operates within the confines and boundaries of the redemptive purpose. Peter 3:9 lets us know that His purpose is not timely, but redemptive. It only has to do with souls and spiritual maturity. Not the clock or the calendar.

If we have a lesson to learn by waiting, then He makes us wait. If we will grow spiritually or mature in our faith by His delay, then He delays. It really has nothing at all to do with our immediate physical needs. It has everything to do with where we are at in the redemptive process.

Look at Moses. Understanding God’s timing for your life was something God taught him the hard way.  40 Years in Pharaoh’s court and schools of higher learning. For what? So he can be a lonely Shepard for the next 40 years? Now I have to admit… at about the end of the first year in the desert watching sheep when I was trained to lead a nation, I would say, “God you messed up!” Moses was put into a position in the desert where he was forced to learn to wait on God.   He had to forget his understanding of time and its purpose.

This would become absolutely necessary when he led the nation of Israel in the wilderness. Forty years of waiting on God in the wilderness would become the result of 40 years of waiting on God in the desert. God knew the nation of Israel had to learn the same lesson of waiting on His timing. He needed Moses then to lead the nation since he had already learned his lesson in the desert.

Neither was God going to give them the promised land over night. Ex 23:28-29 explains that He would not drive their enemies out in a single year. Rather little by little. Until they had increased enough to take the land.

The motive for God’s delay has nothing to do with purposeful impediment. He is simply waiting on our maturity level to rise to a place where we can then take the land (revival, finances, etc). If God were to add 1,000 people to most churches in a single year, most of those souls would soon leave.  Few churches are genuinely prepared to handle that kind of immediate growth.

We want revival now. We want everyone to come to Truth today. So does God. But we are not waiting on Him. He is waiting on congregations to mature to a level where they can do the work of evangelizing. He’s waiting on us be able to maintain the growth that He would give.

Consider how many of the those who have received salvation would still be part of the church today, if it would have spent more time preparing itself to maintain growth before it happened.   “Lord, forgive us of our arrogance and ignorance in this area.” How many souls will be aborted before we realize the absolute necessity of training the church to maintain growth and become spiritually mature?

Would God bless our evangelism efforts more if our level of maturity could actually keep those souls?  Absolutely!

Many are big on telling the numbers of converts to their churches. We need to consider the percentage of people who are still with us 1 year or 5 years later. That shows our true level of maturity as a church body. Few churches brag on their percentage of converts who are still with them after 5 years.  This is harmful to other churches and their ministries for many reasons.

Understanding God’s timing and seasons is not about time. As well, understanding God’s timing for your life is not about waiting on Him. It is about the redemptive process. When we are ready for the growth, it will come. He does not delay. He is not late. He is waiting on us church. Let’s prepare Him an habitation.