In His Time
RON HAMILTON, CCCC CONFERENCE MINISTER
I recently visited a church where things are going very well. Attendance is strong, giving is good, and there is a wonderful spirit in the church. I was very encouraged by the worship service and the interaction with many from the church after the service. However, I was most encouraged because I knew that the pastor and church leadership had waited for a long time for this to happen. There were many days when they wondered if the church would survive. In reality, it took the church over ten years to get this place of health and vitality.
There are many passages of Scripture that encourage us to be people of faith who wait on the Lord.
Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.
(Psalm 27:14)
Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own
understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make
your paths straight. (Proverbs 3:5-6)
The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him. (Lamentations 3:25)
Therefore, I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? …But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore, do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. (Matthew 6:25, 33-34)
Be patient, then, brothers and sisters, until the Lord’s coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop, patiently waiting for the autumn and spring rains. (James 5:7)
We work hard to make things happen in our lives and in our ministries. It’s great when things happen in a timely manner. However, it is a human tendency to take the credit for things when they work out just the way that we planned. Patient faith begins with a humble trust of God and a willingness to let Him work in a way that is best for His Kingdom purposes. I love the Scripture that says, “He has made everything beautiful in its time… (Ecclesiastes 3:11)”