Dear One,
This week an article appeared in the Washington Post about a house for sale. A house that’s provided refuge for more than 56,000 people from approximately 170 countries over the past 50 years. A house that Hubby and I were supposed to be living and serving in right this very minute.
But we’re not there.
Due to Covid, we never got to go. And now the doors of this glorious home have closed. And with them, our dreams and hopes.
We, like many others, are in a season of waiting, waiting, waiting.
And in this season, Peter, an impulsive and somewhat controlling disciple of Jesus has an instructive word for me:
“If you bow low in God’s awesome presence,
He will eventually exalt you as you leave the timing in His hands.”
1 Peter 5:6 (Passion Translation)
Leave the timing.
Does that sound as impossible to you as it does to me?
To leave means to refrain from interfering with. As in leave it alone!
I’m not so good at this. I’m much better at interfering with the timing than leaving it to God’s eventualities.
Eventually is not a word to my liking. It means: at an unspecified later time, especially after a lot of delays or problems.
Not exactly what I wanted to hear. Peter continues,
“Pour out all your worries and stress upon God and
leave them there, for he always tenderly cares for you,
and watches over you very carefully.” (v.7)
Leave the timing, Peter says, and while you’re at it, leave the troubles, too.
God is watching over you, let Him handle both.
I suppose I should feel reassured right now, but I’m not entirely there yet.
While I’m grateful God is watchful over my life I also recognize it’s not a fix-all. But of course, Peter knows that, too. He’s lived it.
There was the time he & his buddies were struggling in a ship at sea, tired as all get-out and rowing against the wind. Eventually, Jesus came to their aid. (Mark 6:45-51)
And what about Lazarus? We’re told Jesus loved him and his sisters, “so when he heard that Lazarus was sick, he stayed where he was two more days.” (John 11:5-6)
He loved them, therefore He delayed. Go figure.
And then there’s God waiting to give a promised babe to His friends Abraham and Sarah (Genesis 21); waiting to give the promised Holy Spirit to the disciples (Acts 1-2); waiting to deliver His people out of exile (Jeremiah 29) and waiting way too long to exalt dear Job out of all his troubles.
“You’ve heard, of course, of Job’s staying power, and you know how God brought it all together for him at the end. That’s because God cares, cares right down to the last detail.” (James 5:11)
Eventually, Peter says. Eventually.
Leave the timing. And leave the troubles, too.
Friend, I find if I don’t leave the troubles, I can’t leave the timing. And I can’t do either one without trust. Deep-rooted trust in God’s wisdom, watchfulness, and ways.
While I’m tired of waiting; tired of delays, derailments and doors tightly closed, perhaps I’m most tired of trying … trying to bring about God’s eventuality all on my own.
I’ve been known to ask, “What time is it, God?” After all, there’s a time for everything, right? I believe the answer (for me, at this moment) might be:
It’s time to leave the timing, daughter.
It’s not for you to know or bring about.
Wait. Trust.You are watched over carefully, cared for tenderly,
right down to the last detail.
Leave the timing to Me.
Leave the timing. Leave the troubles. You can even leave the tears.
Eventually, I will come, and I will be right on time.
Leave the timing: Our Little Life Words of the week.
———————DEEPER DIVE———————
Ponder:
- What are you waiting on/for?
- How do you reconcile God’s “eventually” with the fact that He cares so deeply about you?
- In your life, what time is it and what time do you wish it were (Ecclesiastes 3)?
Practice:
- Begin each day this week with the following declaration: “I trust in you, Lord, You are my God, My times are in your hands.” (Psalm 31: 14-15)
Play:
- Our song of the week is: It is Well by Kristene DiMarco.
Pray:
- Pray Psalm 13 – it’s a “How Long?” prayer.
Friend,
Here’s the good news: “waiting does not diminish us, any more than waiting diminishes a pregnant mother. We are enlarged in the waiting … the longer we wait, the larger we become, and the more joyful our expectancy. Meanwhile, the moment we get tired in the waiting, God’s Spirit is right alongside helping us along.” (Romans 8:24-28 Message Bible)
With you in the waiting.