September 27, 2021
Declaring the end from the beginning, And from ancient times things that are not yet done, Saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, And I will do all My pleasure,’
~Isaiah 46:10~
Most of us are ready for things to just be over and done with. Our lives seem to be hit with overwhelming struggles as we grow weary from figuring out what is next. Our timeline seems to be repetitive. We wonder when it will just stop. When God will come in glory. As humans, we tend to want a time and place attached to what God is doing before we even get there. We create our own personal deadlines. The Lord is reminding me today of His deadline to share. There is only One in who has all the answers and a lot of the times He keeps us from knowing them for our own protection. "Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.” (Luke 12:40)
Jesus moves at times we will least expect and even in the middle of a blessing, we still find ourselves asking "why not sooner?" The need to know is strong in our minds. Jesus wants us to believe. To trust in Him that His deadline is better then anything we could ever plan. "Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me."
(John 14:1)
The Father has planned all things out since the beginning of time.
Have you ever had a conversation with your parents and they were discussing a time period in which you were not yet born; their reply would be "you weren't even thought of yet." Well, I can assure you that we were thought of. Since the beginning of time God knew us. "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; Before you were born I sanctified you; I ordained you a prophet to the nations.” (Jeremiah 1:5)
He knows all of us and He has deadlines for us and the world, which He has formed. Do we actually believe in this? Are we willing to submit our time limit to Jesus and say "not my will, but yours be done." Patience is surely hard as we are subject to actual time on earth. The Lord's counsel will always stand. It is up to us whether we want to learn from Him and be willing to wait in these times when we just want out. I can vouch for wanting times to end in my own walk, to just go Home to be with Jesus; but when the fire burns hotter we become stronger. We have work to do each day we live. The Kingdom of Heaven is at hand. All in His deadline, not our own.
What are we waiting on in our own life right now? What deadline are we attempting to set on our own? It is time to cast it at Jesus and believe in His perfect timing of all things. Even He did not come for hundreds of years after prophecy was spoken. Even to this day we do not understand why but we receive it. A deadline is always set from our Lord and it is always perfect. He declares the end from the beginning and we are here to trust in our Father. Relying on Him is all we have; even as we rely on our fellow brothers and sisters, we rely on Him. For He gave them to us.
It is time to set aside our concerns about when or how things will be and begin to let Jesus truely take that wheel and steer us in the right direction at the right speed. If we go too fast we may get hurt. God's deadline is pure and we can rest in the truth that it is complete already. The answers may not come until we see Him face to face and we must be at peace with this in our hearts.
"He who calls you is faithful, who also will do it." (I Thessalonians 5:24)
How great it is to know we do not need to plan our own deadline, for God has it all set and done!
Prayer:
Father God, thank you for planning my life accordingly and taking control. Lord I do not want to plan my own deadlines. I know Your time is different then mine and I pray for the patience to endure as I wait on You. Grow my faith in the seasons of uncertainty. Lead me in the way I should go. I trust that Your will is much better then anything I could ever put together. Let Your deadline come to be in Christ Jesus. I praise thee for loving someone like me. Your grace is sufficient and Your mercy is plenty. I do not deserve such a King but You are always right there for me. All blessing and glory and honor and power are Yours forever. I submit to Your divine deadline. In Your Son's Name I pray, Jesus Christ. Amen.