Getting Set - Trusting God's Timing

Reading:  Ecclesiastes 3:1-8
1 There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens:
2  a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot,
3  a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build,
4  a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance,
5  a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them, a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing,
6 a time to search and a time to give up, a time to keep and a time to throw away,
7 a time to tear and a time to mend, a time to be silent and a time to speak,
8 a time to love and a time to hate, a time for war and a time for peace.

This passage serves as a reflection on the truth that there is an appointed time and season for every purpose under heaven.

Devotional: One of the hardest disciplines in the Christian life is waiting without losing faith. The Israelites had been enslaved for over four hundred years. From a human perspective, the timing seemed impossibly long. But God's calendar operates differently than ours. He is never early, and He is never late. Getting set means planting your feet in the starting blocks of faith and refusing to bolt ahead of God's signal. Premature movement can disqualify a runner. Premature decisions made outside of God's timing can cost us dearly. Set your heart to trust His schedule, even when yours says it is long overdue.

Reflection: Is there a situation in your life where you have been tempted to move ahead of God? What has that impatience cost you, or what might it cost you?

Application: Identify one decision you are facing. Before acting, spend ten minutes in prayer specifically asking God for clarity about His timing rather than your own.