We live in an era where everything has been time-lined according to human time and human wisdom, knowledge, and understanding. The human time is counted by the clock that reads in seconds, minutes, hours, days, weeks, months, years. Human’s timelining is good to a certain extent in that it helps one to plan certain things ahead and work towards achieving them. However, true life experiences have shown that things don’t always work out for everybody according to human timeline allotted to them and like other things in life, they are subject to change. Some things happen as scheduled, some happen earlier than scheduled, some happened latter while some happen very late. This is due to the fact that life’s timeline does not work based on human’s timeline but according to God’s timing based on His plans and purpose for individuals and with eternity as the expected end, Jeremiah 29:11. God’s timing just like everything about Him is far different from ours, Isaiah 55:8-9. A lack of understanding of the difference between the human timeline and God’s life timeline is one of many causes of increase in depression and suicide among the youths owing to their failure to achieve certain things at the time they had planned for them.
Life’s timeline for every living thing and individual is determined by God and remain a mystery to man, Ecclesiasters3:11; Acts 17:26. We can plan the timing for certain things to be accomplished based on human time but such things would happen only at God’s appointed time for them. Life’s timeline is outside man’s determination and control. Worthy of note is that God’s time for anything can never be altered, be late or too early, it is always exact! When it is God’s time for something, such things come easy and effortless and beautiful.
God’s timing for every human is not universal like the human-made clock. It varies for each individual. As humans differ from one person to another so also is our life’s clock and timeline. We start the journey of our lives differently and everyone has his or her own timeline to achieve certain things or attain certain statures. Everything happens according to our time and purpose, Ecclesiastes 3. We are in the world for different purposes. What I am saying, in essence, is that each individual has his own unique clock/timeline and operates on a timeline different from others in different areas of his/her life. It is possible that in certain areas of our lives, one’s life timeline may tally with those of our age-mates/friends, family and at other times one’s timeline may fall short/behind others; or at other times it might be faster than others. Whichever way it is, accept it!
It is worthy to note that the time certain things happens is one’s life is not as a result of one’s power but the workings of God – the perfect, accurate life’s timekeeper who keeps time and ensures everything happens as timed by Him.
Looking around, you would see some people who achieved everything early in life; that is their time. Others may experience serious delays in life; that is their time as well. Some graduated from the university early but have a delay in getting a job, whereas some who experienced delay in getting admission into the university graduated and got a job immediately. Some married at an early age but couldn’t bear children until later in their life. Whereas, we have seen those who married late and conceived almost immediately.
If your life’s timeline favors you, please don’t mock those who seemed to be lagging behind. Don’t compare other people’s time to achieving success with your own, because everyone has his/her own destiny. There is time and purpose for everything on earth. Face your own life and don’t let anyone destroy you with another person’s timeline or their own timeline. At the appointed time everything will take shape its proper shape. So don’t get depressed because you have not achieved what your peers or mates have achieved. No hurry in life.
Also, note that some things are meant to come earlier than we have planned, so don’t insist on achieving certain things before doing other things that God brings your way. For example, God may impress it in your heart to build a house while all you wanted is to further your education. Once all the provisions to build the house is there, go ahead and build the house, it is the time and it might be the only time for you to do it in your lifetime. Embrace all situations as it comes. To know that the time for a particular thing has come, everything concerning it would come easy and with little stress. Everything would work out perfectly well. So, do things as they are presented to you.
You should exercise patience at all times. Some, due to many years of waiting become so frustrated, impatient and went ahead to commit suicide while at the edge of their breakthrough. Impatience was what made King Saul make the sacrifice he was not supposed to make and he lost the throne. If having satisfied yourself that you have done the needful/rightful things and delay comes across your way, the best thing in to accept the situation and keep yourself occupied doing something worthwhile until your time comes. Delay is not denial! Therefore, it is not a time to brood over your situation or be heartbroken or involve in self-condemnation or blame/accuse others. Your time would surely come. Experiencing delays in life does not imply you are a failure or that our mates are better than you. It is a matter of your life’s timeline which is beyond your control. Your own time would come, be patient. Don’t cut corners because you want to achieve certain things else you would mess up your life, rather seek God’s face because He alone can change the time.
I learned a great lesson of the goodness and beauty of God’s time while seeking admission into the university for my last child. He is a brilliant boy and had wanted to study medicine at the university. He had distinctions in all his papers in WAEC. His result was the best recorded in the immediate family and we were confident he would have no problem gaining admission into the university. By our calculations, he would become a qualified medical doctor before his 23rd birthday. But, we were wrong! He couldn’t gain admission in the first year, and also in the second year, despite his high scores in JAMB and POST UTME exams. It was not a case of being given another course; he was not even offered admission at all. It was really frustrating seeing his mates who were not as brilliant all getting admission into the universities. We waited and kept praying. I even attempted seeking admission for him into one of the Private universities despite knowing I wasn’t buoyant enough to send him to one all to no avail.
One day, into the third year of waiting, a friend of mine called and asked after the welfare of my kids. In the course of our discussion, I mentioned his inability to get admitted into the University. My friend couldn’t believe my son had not been offered admission at all both in the private and public universities he had applied for with his result. He then asked, “why not send him abroad to study?” And I replied with which money? He then suggested, “let him apply for a scholarship.” I laughed hard at his suggestion saying, “Have you forgotten we are in Nigeria where scholarships are given based on who you know and not by merit? He told me to give it a try. I responded that I did not even know of any scholarship website and he promised to send me a list. He immediately sent me one with the promise to send others later.
I never knew God’s hand was in this. My son went to the nearest cybercafé to check the site. The first surprise we got was the eligible age required to access the site. Anyone less than eighteen years could not access it! My son just turned eighteen, so he accessed it. To continue with the application, the applicant’s result must not be older than three years; his was yet to be three years. He filled and submitted the form online, sat for the exams, passed and he was given the scholarship to study medicine abroad. Praise the Lord!
On the long run, the wait paid off. The delay was actually God’s way of making him attain the age for qualification and other preparations needed to get a scholarship to study abroad which was a dream we never had. We were struggling for admission in the Nigerian Universities, meanwhile, God wanted him to be on scholarship and go overseas. Of a truth, God’s ways are surely not ours and His thoughts not our thoughts. His plans and time is the best for us, Jeremiah 29:11. Surely, God makes everything beautiful in His time. God is good all the time!
I may not know the area of your life where you are experiencing a delay, but one thing I know is that the time for what you are waiting for to manifest would surely come in Jesus name. We serve a living God who was before the beginning of time, who ordained time and has the power to keep and change time. God will never fail you and no power of the enemy can prevent Him from giving you your blessing when it is time to favor or bless you.
Have it at the back of your mind that delay is not an indication of sin in your life or that God does not love or care about you. He does. He is interested in the prosperity of His children, Psalm 35:27. God had fulfilled the desires of all who trusted in His love in the past, so He would do your own, Psalm 145:19. God does not only know what is best for you, but He also knows the best time for you to have what is best for you. He knows all about your desires, Psalm 38:9. He knows how you feel each time you experience a delay. Just be a little more patient, all things will be perfectly well in due season and you would forget about your delay. Commit all your ways into His hands and He will help you and establish them, Psalm 37:5-7; 69:13. At God’s time you will have it, so don’t lose hope.
You can entrust your time into His hand as King David did. Hold on to your faith and wait. May you be willing and obedient in the time of His visitation to bless you.
May you be strengthened in Him in Jesus name, Colossians 1:11.
If you are reading this write-up and you have not given your life to Jesus Christ, please do so now. Waiting can seem so unending, tiring and frustrating when Jesus is not in one’s life.
Come to Him now by taking the steps written below;
1) Admit you are a sinner. Romans 3:23; 6:23.
2) Repent of all sins. Acts 3:19, 1 John 1:9
3) Believe that God loves you and that Jesus His only Son died for you. Romans 5:8, Acts 10; 40 & 43
4) Invite Jesus into your heart. Revelations 3:20
CAST YOUR CARE UPON JESUS FOR HE CARES FOR YOU.
GOD LOVES YOU AND SO DO I.
