In His Timing

CBN.com - So often in our life's journey we easily lose sight of the mighty hand of our glorious God working within us and those around us. As I was sitting down to write this column today about a completely different topic the Lord gave me a gentle nudge to remind me of all the blessings we reap on a daily basis but take for granted. This was never more evident than in a situation that my wife and I miraculously witnessed recently in the lives of our dear friends Toby and Rebecca.

Toby and Rebecca had moved away last fall in a quest to begin a new chapter in their lives. Feeling the desire to open her own business, Rebecca had found the perfect spot to do so ... three hours to the south of where we all lived. Saddened by their departure, my wife and I still supported their decision whole heartedly because we had been at a similar crossroad in our lives about four years earlier. Just as Toby and Rebecca did, we also believed it was God's will for them to take on this new adventure.

Due to a myriad of excuses related to work, family visits, and vacations, we had been unable to trek the 180 miles to see them in the nearly ten months they had lived there. Finally a weekend opened up when we were both free. Mark it on the calender, we were headed south!

When we arrived Friday evening, the natural discussion of sight seeing opportunities ensued. We said we were open to anything, just pack us in the car and away we will go.

As the evening ebbed and flowed onward we began to discuss whether they enjoyed their new environment and living situation.

"We really like it here," said Toby. "In fact, we began looking at houses last spring in hopes of buying but it didn't really work out. We found this house we really loved and even put a bid down on it. Unfortunately it was rejected. It is just as well. With the baby coming and Rebecca's desire to expand the business it just didn't make sense. Besides, we took some of our house money and invested it in the business."

"It probably wasn't a good sign when I got really sick as we were looking at it," added Rebecca.

Sometimes God has other plans for our lives. They just need to be worked out in His timing.

As our Friday evening conversation faded into a day of sightseeing on Saturday, Toby suggested that we take a ride by the house they had unsuccessfully pursued so we could at least bring their description of it into reality.

Upon our approach up the hazy, lazy tree lined street we couldn't help but notice a big blue "For Sale" sign standing prominently on the front lawn. Both Toby and Rebecca wondered aloud how the house could still be for sale. They had not driven past it since their offer had been rejected four months earlier. We pulled into the driveway and spent the next 10 minutes hypothesizing why the house was for sale all these months later.

"Maybe it failed its inspection," I offered.

"Perhaps the previous buyer's financing fell through," suggested Toby.

"There must be something horribly wrong with it," said my wife.

"I don't know why but I am going to find out," said Rebecca, as she grabbed for her cell phone. "I am going to call our realtor and see what she knows about it."

Several fruitless phone calls later we still did not have an answer. Their realtor was on an extended vacation to Maine and was not returning phone calls. As a last resort, Rebecca decided to call the listing agent. She answered. "Coincidentally", the listing agent just happened to live next door. Literally. She said that while it was late in the day to be looking at a house, she would be willing to walk the approximately 50 feet from her front door to show it to us if we could be there within twenty minutes.

God works in mysterious ways.

We made it there in 20. Based on a detailed walk-through that encompassed a wide range of questions including why the house was still for sale (the previous buyer's financing had fallen through), Toby and Rebecca decided they would pray about it and make a decision within the next 24 hours.

The remainder of the evening and after church the next morning was spent discussing all of the variables that had "fallen" into place for them within the last day.

For example, if my wife and I had not come to visit, Toby and Rebecca would never have had any reason to even think about that house. If I hadn't mentioned it in conversation the night before we never would have driven over to see it. If their real estate agent had not been away on vacation Toby never would have called the listing agent. If the listing agent hadn't lived literally next door we probably would not have been able to see it until the next day. If their bid had been accepted four months earlier they never would have been able to expand Rebecca's business. But due to falling interest rates over the summer they still had enough money to make a bid.

And they did. After much prayer and supplication Toby and Rebecca placed their offer on Monday. Later in the week they had an answer: their bid had been accepted! The house was theirs!

Sometimes God has other plans for our lives. They just need to be worked out in His timing.

In

it says, "Ah, Lord God! Behold, You have made the heavens and the earth by Your great power and outstretched arm. There is nothing too hard for You."

And in 33:3 Jeremiah writes, "Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know."

Nothing is too difficult for our wondrous God. His power and unending love for us makes all things possible. God has a plan for each and every one of us that is far greater than any we could ever hope to devise for ourselves. It is through our acceptance of His plan for our lives that we grow, mature, and develop in our spiritual maturity. If we conform ourselves to His infinite wisdom there is nothing we cannot accomplish.

It is through these times where we want our will to be done and not His, that we inevitably see His incredible timing. The desires of our heart may be valid but the time and place of it transpiring may not be. If we are obedient to God and His plan for our lives we will be incredibly blessed. But we must be patient.

Remember, God is the source of all wisdom, power, and truth in our lives. Without Him, we are nothing. With Him, anything is possible in His timing.

 

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Material from The Transformer, study Bible used in this article.