You’re doing your best to trust God.

You want him to act. 

You want him to help.

You’ve been waiting. And waiting some more. So you start to think to yourself: “I’ll give God to the end of the year to do something about this situation. If he doesn’t do anything it must be because he either doesn’t care or isn’t real.”

I’m pretty sure none of us would use those specific words. Maybe you’ve had those thoughts. Maybe you haven’t. But when patience is stretched and when life is desperate, it’s an idea which can creep into our thinking.

But it’s not trusting God’s timeline if you give him a deadline.

We live in a world of deadlines. A teacher gives a deadline for an assignment. An employer gives a deadline for the third quarter reports so they can get out to the stakeholders. A parent tells Sally to have the car home by 6:30 so her sister can get to gymnastics on time.

But God’s timeline is not so easily known or predicted.

I’ve been spending a lot of time in the book of Esther. It’s a story that highlights the work of God, even when it isn’t obvious. A little known fact about the story is that it actually takes place over 10 years. Esther was queen a full six years before getting the chance to intervene on behalf of her people.

Psalm 90:4 provides a reminder about something which is easy to forget: “A thousand years in your sight are like a day that has just gone by…” 

God is almighty. God is love. God is wise. God is also always working for the good of his people. But his timeline is just that — his.

Be patient in prayer. Support one another. And grow in Christlikeness.

It’s not trusting God’s timeline if you give him a deadline.

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Notes and extra content:

–“God works in the trenches – Esther, Part 4.” Sermon. March 3, 2024. Click here.

–Pause Alert. After Friday, March 8th The Up Devotional will go on pause for two weeks. I’ll be on vacation for week 1 and then on study leave for week 2. It returns on March 25th during Holy Week. You can find back issues here, or listen as a podcast wherever you subscribe. You can also buy the most book of devotionals called ‘Turbulence’ here.

–Bible quotes are from the NIV.