Beauty in His time

He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also, He has put eternity in their hearts, except that no one can find out the work that God does from beginning to end.

(Ecclesiastes 3:11, NKJV)

Time as we know determines very many things in our lives.  While we all have 24 hours in a day, at times the day seems short for what we want to achieve or too long, and the wait is difficult.  We live in the age of instant gratification and access to what our hearts desires are, so that it is difficult to wait when we are asked to.  Patience is a virtue that many tend to struggle with, and I must admit, it is not such a comfortable space to be in.  Waiting for something and giving it time, means that we live in hope that our expectation will be fulfilled.  The bible tells us that the expectation of the righteous will not be denied (Proverbs 10:28), but even with this, our natural inclination while waiting is to doubt and question the satisfaction of our expectation.  The urgency with which we want to see our desires met, leads many to follow paths that they later regret as what they had hoped to achieve is not what they get.  I confess I have found myself pursuing some things with all that I can find, only to realize that my pursuit did not produce the desired results.  When this happens, the pain of regret is deep and often there is a loss experienced.

King Solomon, the wisest man who ever lived as recorded in the bible, advises us that there is a time for everything (Ecclesiastes 3:1-11).  When we plant something, we need to give it time to germinate and grow before we can harvest.  The same thing when we cook a nice meal, it takes preparation and time to cook before it is set on the table.  These natural and simple processes are a strong reminder of our reference verse, that something is beautiful only in its time, not earlier.  Unfortunately, we rarely want to give that time for what we want to get ready for us, and at times, even for us to get ready for it.  Our reference verse also tells that God who lives in eternity has also chosen to put eternity in our hearts though we do not seem to understand it.  God is not limited by time and His perspective of time is quite different from our finite minds, He compares a day to a thousand years in His presence (2 Peter 3:8). He never runs out of time, never in a hurry but is always on time.  This is way above what our minds will take in, but it is a reminder that He is God and His ways are far above our ways (Isaiah 55:8), and His ways are perfect (Psalm 18:30).

Brethren, how then shall we respond to this lofty appreciation of God knowing full well our limitations?  The only answer I can come to is to trust Him for He knows what is right and when it will be right, He will make it perfect and beautiful in His time.  This does not quench our thirst for speed as we know it, but it helps us know that He is in control.  Apostle James writes and tells that we let patience have its perfect way in our lives (James 4:8).  Beloved there is a perfect way and the verse continues to let us know that when patience has its way in our lives, we too are perfected and wanting nothing, that sounds to me like contentment.  As we wait patiently, the Holy Spirit takes the time to make us perfect and ready to receive that which we have prayed and waited for. It is the preparation of our hearts and the receiving of our expectation that becomes beautiful, all in God’s timing.  Patience indeed builds our character, perfecting us for the work that God has ordained for us to do.

Thoughts:

What is the fruit of patience in your life?

Is there something that you are impatiently waiting for?

How will you respond to this conversation?