It is just a matter of time! Have you ever heard or made that statement? Under what circumstances and to whom? Why did you make it? What does it mean? Everyone has made that statement at some point in life. It means inevitably, soon, it is certain to happen. Just watch and see it will happen at some time in the future. It is just a matter of time.
Are you believing for something, and you do not see any sign of things changing or improving? Are you praying and speaking faith over a thing, but nothing seems to be getting better? For instance, are you praying for a child, but everything you do, no matter how hard you are trying, there are no signs of a baby? If you only had some evidence, if only you just see a little sign, then you would believe? My friend, you cannot be moved by what you do not see. You have to be moved by what you believe. This is called – having faith – believing in spite of.
We all have things in life that we are believing for – quietly waiting for them to happen. In spite of praying, we still not seeing them happening, but it is just a matter of time.
We may not see any manifestation for some time. There may not be any evidence that things will change, and this is the time when many of us get discouraged. But there will always be a period of time where it looks like God is silent or God does not do what He promised. Do not be discouraged because you do not see anything happening – it is just a matter of time.
God does everything in time according to His schedule, according to His divine plan. So, it was for Sarah, Hannah, Ruth, Elizabeth, and Mary. Those women waited for a baby; it was just a matter of time for their fulfillment. Those babies – Isaac, Samuel, Obed, and John the Baptist were born at the right time. They played a pivotal role in the life of the Messiah. God was behind the scenes weaving their lives in the lives of their parents. God never forgot his promises. God said to Abraham, Sarah’s husband, “I will make you exceedingly fruitful; and I will make nations of you, and kings shall come from you.” God was not slack concerning His promises to them.
God had promised Sarah a son, but Sarah laughed and said, how could it be, she was too old to have a baby. The years rolled by, and Sarah did not conceive. It was a long and painful experience for her. She was extremely disappointed, but that promise was only a matter of time. The toughest times in life are when God appears to say and do nothing. During those times, we must learn to be patient and wait on Him. Sarah became frustrated with God’s silence because she wanted desperately to have a child, but it just was not happening on her timetable.
Genesis 15:5 tells us that God took Abraham outside and had him look at the heavens and told him that his offspring would be as numerous as the stars in the sky, so where was the baby He promised? Sarah was growing older, and it was looking like an impossibility she would get pregnant.
I guess you can imagine how impatient Sarah and Abraham must have been. They probably cried – Where are you God? When is your promise going to come to fruition? But it was only a matter of time.
That time finally came. Sarah became pregnant. She had a son. He was born at the exact time God had promised him. They named him Isaac. God’s Promises are No Laughing Matter my friend. Whatever God says He will do, He will do in His time.
The Lord was gracious to Sarah, just as He had said He would be. God did for Sarah what He had promised to do. God is never in a hurry, but yet He is never late. He is always on time.
One of the difficult things to do in life is to wait on God like Sarah had to. It is never good for us to take matters into our own hands. Dealing with God’s timing takes a certain knowledge of who God is. God’s view of time is quite different than ours. The Bible says that for God a thousand years is like a day. In other words, for an eternal God a thousand years is really not that long of time. It was through Sarah’s son Isaac linage that Jesus was born. God knows what He is doing at all times. We need to trust him.
Sarah’s story can teach us three valuable lessons for our lives about – how we should react when it appears that God is silent in our lives:
1. EXPECT IT TO BE DIFFICULT. During those times, God is shaping and molding us. God is testing our faith. He often uses trials and difficulties to mature our faith. How else do we really know that we trust God unless that trust is tested from time to time?
2. STAND STILL. Do not get ahead of God. When we go against God’s timing and get ahead of Him, as Sarah did, we can almost bet that the result will be disastrous. Sarah did it her way, and in her time, and she ended up creating a conflict in her household. She had a surrogate plan to replace God’s plan and it all fell apart.
3. DON’T TRY TO UNDERSTAND GOD. Trust Him — do not trace Him. Sarah’s main mistake was that she assumed that she understood God. She mistook God’s silence as meaning she was not going to have a child. She was wrong in her understanding and assumption. We should never try to understand or interpret what God is doing because we will never fully understand His ways. His thoughts and ways are above our own. God ways and thoughts are far beyond our comprehension.
My friends, you never know how God is orchestrating His plans and His will in your life. God is behind the scenes making it all work out for good and we just have to trust God. God knows what He is doing even when we see nothing changing or do not understand.
We must learn to have patience that God will keep His promises, even if it takes a long time. We also must learn that nothing is too difficult for God, even when His promises may make us want to laugh. Remember: God always keeps his promises. It is just a matter of time.
About the Author: Mrs. Marilyn Hodge owns and operates the Wellness Centre in The Farrington, Anguilla. The Centre offers Counselling Services by Appointment Only and has now published Positive Living Volume 3. Contact information: 476-3517 or email: marilynb@anguillanet.com. www.facebook.com/axawellnesscentre
