Have you found waiting on God’s timing to be difficult? Perhaps you are waiting for a prayer to be answered, to get married, to find a job, to get better after an illness or something else. I believe waiting on God’s timing is one of the hardest aspects of living the Christian life.
One of my friend’s father, a devout believer in Jesus, was quite ill and near the end of his life. One day he woke up in his hospital bed and said, “O Lord why have you not taken me to heaven yet?” He had to wait for God’s perfect timing. A few days later it was time, and he went home to be with the Lord.
Simeon was Waiting for God’s Timing
There are many prophecies in the Old Testament that speak of the coming of Messiah. One of them was written 700 years before Jesus was born. Isaiah 7:14All right then, the Lord himself will give you the sign. Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son and will call him Immanuel (which means ‘God is with us’).[1] Simeon was a devout Jew who lived in Jerusalem and was faithfully waiting for the coming of the Messiah. Now near the end of his life, the Lord would give him a special blessing when he encountered the baby Jesus in the temple.
Luke 2:25 At that time there was a man in Jerusalem named Simeon. He was righteous and devout and was eagerly waiting for the Messiah to come and rescue Israel. The Holy Spirit was upon him 26 and had revealed to him that he would not die until he had seen the Lord’s Messiah.[2]
Trusting in God’s Timing
God gives us hopes and dreams for certain things to happen in our lives. Perhaps the Lord is calling you to trust in His timing. Simeon dreamed of someday seeing the Messiah. But The Lord doesn’t always allow us to see the exact timing of His plan. Simeon was near the end of his life when he looked into the eyes of baby Jesus.
There are times when we might give up if we knew how long it was going to take. God’s timing is like walking with a lamp. You can only see where you are walking, which means taking life one step at a time. When we trust God’s timing, we can have hope while God works out His plan. We know that God’s plan for our lives is good, and when we entrust ourselves to Him, we can experience total peace and happiness.
Thank the Lord that waiting helps us to develop patience and trust in Him. Even while we are waiting the Lord is refining and transforming us. That is amazing! To hear more about waiting on God’s timing listen here:
https://podpoint.com/light-of-christ-church-podcast/coming-of-messiah-blessing-over-jesus
[1-2] Tyndale House Publishers. (2015). Holy Bible: New Living Translation . Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers.
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