When Time is Your Enemy Rather than Your Friend

“But when the right time came, God sent his Son…”

Galatians 4:4

I often think of time as an enemy rather than a friend. Because time never seems to align with my plans. Time seems to work against me on most days. However, time isn’t the problem. The truth is I’m impatient. I’m selfish. I’m that stubborn little toddler who won’t let go of the idea that things should happen on my timetable. I’m sure I’m not alone.

Most people live by a timeline (unless you live on an island where time is irrelevant, which there is such a place). We live where everything we do is measured by how much time we have or how much time we’re losing. Think about your typical day. It begins with a time stamp of when you need to be at work, your next appointment, when you need to pick up your child or Target order, or when you need to be home to start dinner to get the little ones to their evening activities. The clock drives everything, especially the one on our phones. Then there’s the reality that we no longer have the patience to wait for anything anymore, so things like microwaves, streaming services, and Amazon next-day shipping make us very happy.

However, time doesn’t work the way we need it. This is because our Creator governs time. So when I read Galatians 4:4, I have to ponder its significance. “But when the right time came, God sent his son…” God sent Jesus not at any time but at the right time. The right time is subjective. We often think now is the right time or why God couldn’t answer our prayer sooner rather than later. We struggle to see time as governed and sovereign by the One who is timeless. His handling of time is wise and good.

The people waiting on the Messiah during those silent 400 years also struggled with time. Their humanity and impatience had to get the best of them at times. Waiting for 400 years for God to fulfill a promise and never hearing a word about it had to be extremely difficult and even devastating. Yet between the books of Malachi and Matthew are 400 years of silence, wondering, and wrestling with time. Then, at the right time, it happened. God sent His son. Why that time? Why then? Why not sooner? Those questions are not ours to answer. But it is our responsibility to surrender. To remember that God was working during those years of silence. He was preparing the way. God was positioning people and kingdoms. He was at work.

Time doesn’t confine Him. He doesn’t answer to time. He is the ruler of time. You and I might question God’s timing. We might never understand his choice of timing in our lives. But what we can hold on to is His wisdom and foresight. We can trust that He knows when the time is right to answer our prayer, bring our prodigal child home, provide the best job, bring complete healing to our hearts, and end the valleys that we’re facing. Just as Jesus came into the world at the perfect time, God’s timing in our lives is and will always be perfect!

Questions to ponder:

1. What is one area of your life where you are struggling waiting on the Lord? Why do you think this is case? What could you change in your life so that your heart aligns with His timing rather than your own?
2. What might God be asking you to surrender when it comes to your expectations of His timing in life?