This week I've been talking about how we often confuse God's plan with our plan, and what we want with what He wants for us. Well one of the major areas where we get confused is with timing. When we want something we want it immediately, and when God shows us something we want it to come to pass immediately. We often believe God is telling us "it" is going to happen immediately and we get upset when it doesn't. Sometimes we think we misheard God or even worse that God lied to us when we don't see what was foretold come to pass on our schedules. Well my experience has been God doesn't work like that; when He tells you something will happen you usually have to wait for it. There is an expression "God is never late" and that is true because His timing is perfect, but if you want an expression that helps you deal with your reality it might be better to say "God is always late." I don't say that disrespectfully but because His timing is usually later than ours.

In Isaiah 48 God told the people that He told them what would happen well in advance so they'd know He was God. He said I foretold what would happen long ago because I knew you were stubborn and hard headed. He didn't want their idols taking credit for what He'd done. Well I can understand God's reasoning here. When the storm clouds are brewing everyone agrees it's going to rain. When you see the signs of things coming to pass everybody will tell you what's happening. That's why God tells you long before it happens. He gives you the Word when there are no indications at all of what is going to happen. He tells you what's going to happen when all natural minds say "No way! That's never going to happen." He tells you something that is so inconceivable that it takes faith to believe it, and when it actually happens all must agree that it had to be God.

Not only does God tell us things well in advance to prove His divinity but so we can develop patience and prepare. You notice how little children have a hard time waiting for anything? If they don't get what they want when they want it they have a tantrum. Sometimes we experience delays so we can grow up. God wants us to get to that point where instead of acting out when He doesn't show up when we want Him, we say God I know You love me, that Your plans for me are good, and I trust You.