The Appointed Time: When it’s God’s Will but Hasn’t Arrived Yet
If I sent My Only Son for you, would I not give you anything you ask?
habakkuk 2:2-3 ampc
“And the Lord answered me and said, Write the vision and engrave it so plainly upon tablets that everyone who passes may [be able to] read [it easily and quickly] as he hastens by. For the vision is yet for an appointed time and it hastens to the end [fulfillment]; it will not deceive or disappoint. Though it tarry, wait [earnestly] for it, because it will surely come; it will not be behindhand on its appointed day.”
Exalting God’s Timing is something that I have been working on lately. How can I reckon having desires that are of God but are not of His Current Timing? And another contradiction, how can something “tarry” but “will surely come”?
If I’m honest I know that comprehending things in my human capacity was never part of His Plan. And the feelings of tarry when visions seem delayed are actually our appraisals of time not God’s. From His Vantage, the vision always arrives in perfect timing. One thing I am learning to accept is that there are many things in my walk with God that I may never understand and that is actually by His Design. Believing in and Trusting Him not understanding Him is what is He intended for me to do. And knowing that my mind would wander, He gifted me a peace to steady it. Pretty amazing how He thought about everything, even the little things!
The exact phrase “appointed time” is found in the bible anywhere from 29 times in the King James Version, to 48 times in the Amplified Version and seems to be found in most, if not all translations. Although, there are other synonymous phrases like “right season”, “appropriate time”, “ripe time”, “due time” etc., they all vary depending on the translation. Even hundreds of years ago, before the emergence of the “microwave society”, timing was important and there were still people counting the years go by and looking at God with side-eye.
For this series, every Thursday, I plan on reviewing a story where God’s Appointed Timing was at play and discuss how the people handled it (for better or worse!). Since this series was not planned out like the previous ones, I do not know how many weeks it will be. I guess you can think of it as a live-stream event that will end at its “appointed time”! 😊
P.S. If you’re interested and have time, it is fascinating to see how many times a word or phrase appears in the Bible. FYI, I used Biblegateway, in case anyone assumes that I’m a stellar theology student who searched multiple translations of the Bible by hand.
Until Weekend Wellness,
