In his sermon “Better Odds” Andy Stanley makes a great statement. He’s talking about waiting on God, and he says something along these lines:
We look at the clock; God looks at the calendar.
One of the most difficult lessons for believers to learn is to wait on God. By nature we’re not patient, and our culture offers little encouragement to develop the habit. We want, we need, we think we deserve everything now.
Remember that Sarah waited until she was old for the son she had always dreamed about; Moses waited for 40 years on the backside of the desert for God’s call; Joseph languished in prison for 15 years before God vindicated him.
Even Paul spent 17 years in preparation before he began the ministry that God called him to on the road to Damascus.
But you can be sure that each of these saints would say it was worth the wait. It always is.
There are, no doubt, a number of things that you are waiting for, too: victory, healing, peace, growth, reconciliation, success.
Today I encourage you to remember one thing: God is on his way.
Sometimes the night seems to last forever. Sometimes his silence seems permanent. That’s because we look at the clock while he looks at the calendar.
Solomon wrote…
God has made everything beautiful for its own time. He has planted eternity in the human heart, but even so, people cannot see the whole scope of God’s work from beginning to end. (Ecclesiastes 3:11)
We cannot see the whole scope of God’s work, but the scope exists. And we may not see the big picture, but there is one currently in development.
Today might be just another day of waiting for you, but here’s how you can make it better: Take your eyes off the clock and turn them toward Jesus. Spend this time in his presence, waiting in expectation rather than desperation.
God is at work in your work in life, making all things beautiful in their time.
