His Timing or Ours?
My mother was one of eight children. She wanted a house full of children, but she was told she would never have any. Ten years into marriage she became sick and the same doctor who told her she would never have children informed her that she was pregnant!
Timing. God’s timing is so much better than ours will ever be.
Acts 17:26-27 (NIV – emphasis added)
From one man he made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live. God did this so that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us.
When I read this verse, which is absolutely one of my favorites, I see God flipping through a Rolodex of time, and stopping at just the right moment for every single person, saying, “You, (insert your name here), will search for me best in this very century within this array of decades. The gifts I have blessed you with will reach the most people and do the most good in this very age!”
None of us randomly happened into this life. God has a plan!
2 Timothy 1:9 (NIV – emphasis added)
For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline. So do not be ashamed to testify about our Lord, or ashamed of me his prisoner. But join with me in suffering for the gospel, by the power of God, who has has saved us and called us to a holy life-not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time, but it has now been revealed through the appearing of our Savior, Christ Jesus, who has destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.
Ephesians 2:10 (NIV – emphasis added)
For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
Did you catch that? Well, I did bold it for added emphasis but before the beginning of time God had a plan of how He would not only rescue us from our sinful selves but had a plan for our lives as well!
My husband and I were talking about how in this crazy world we ended up together. It’s a long story but a fun one, you can read it here.
But what stuck out to us the most is the timing of it all. You see, my parents are about the same age as his grandparents on his mothers’ side. He was born early in his parents’ marriage and I was born somewhat later into my parents’ marriage. If I had been born earlier, we might never have crossed paths. Our children might very well not exist. Our lives would be completely different.
God has a plan. And even though His timing may frustrate our plans, we 
know that His plans have a far more lasting effect than we could ever imagine. From the beginning of time, God orchestrated each individual’s birth in my family and each individual’s birth in my husband’s family so that we would end up serving him together. (Now, please do not get me wrong, I am not a believer in “soul mates”, but I do believe God has a plan. And above all, his plan is much better than what we could ever plan ourselves.) If you stopped and read the story of how we came to be married, you would clearly see my husband was NEVER part of my plan.
Leaning into God’s will brought us together and it is amazing to praise God for the love He has brought about between us. I pray that we will instill a love of following God’s will into our children so that they too will impact this earth based on God’s plan and His perfect timing.
When you look back on your life, how do you see that God putting you in this very time has been impactful to those around you?
I am a mother of 5 crazy, homeschooling children ages 10 & under, wife to an amazing man, and daughter of the King of the Universe!I enjoy reading, making my kids laugh, cooking, all things natural, learning to play guitar and dusting off my piano skills.One day I hope to run again, but until then I’m learning patience.
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Isn’t it great that we can turn to an all powerful God and know that He’s got it all under control?? 🙂
Yes! It truly brings me peace!
God’s plans are so much better than ours
Amen!
Oh, my husband was not part of my plan either. I didn’t want to date this soldier stationed so far away. But God has used every piece of military life to bring me closer to Him and create this family from such broken people.
Praise God! It is amazing how God arranges things in our lives to bring Him glory. So thankful you are seeing that and growing from where he has planted you!
What a GREAT reminder, with GREAT timing! I sometimes feel like I am not where I am meant to be but you are so right that it is all part of God’s plan. And His plan is greater than mine! I just need to relax and start enjoying where I am, which I decided this morning I needed to do. Thank you for this!
Oh yeah! May you be comforted in His plans for you!
It’s so comforting to know that God has a plan for us, even when we don’t see it. Thanks for the reminder.
Yes, it is! Once I realized this my life and how I approached it took on a whole new meaning.
This is all very true. His plans and timing is perfect. I recently wrote about the beauty of waiting. You may be interested in it. http://unveiledandrevealed.com/2015/10/02/the-hidden-beauty-of-waiting/
This so reminds me of my husband and I, as we’ve known each other since we were 12, but we were NEVER a part of each OTHER’S plan, but God had something different in mind! Thanks for sharing! 🙂