Timing
Ever run out of patience with God? Ever wonder if God is really listening and hearing your prayers?
It can feel as if you are throwing words to the sky and all that is coming back is emptiness and a sense of being unfulfilled. It can be exhausting, stressful and often feels like God does not see you. We can feel paralyzed and even start comparing ourselves to others wondering, “When is it my time”?
Don’t lose hope or strength! God hears your cries! He sees your heart! And He cares for you even deeper.
In 1 Peter 5:7 it says “Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you”. We often think that when we go to God during times that life is not lining up to the expectations and desires we put on ourselves, it means that God is not there or something is “wrong” . This is a false narrative we speak over ourselves.
We think this way often due to the pressures society, culture and social media play in our everyday lives. We’re programmed to expect everything to go our way… and now!
We can also envision our life a certain way so much that it feels like it should be our only acceptable reality and when it does not pan out the exact way we were hoping it to be, it completely shatters the delusion we created in our heads. This can cause internal strife and pain. When life is not going “our way”, we start comparing our supposed “lacks” to other people’s “blessings”. This will lead us to a certain downward spiral and we will miss the blessings and growth God is doing in our life now.
In Jeremiah it says, “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.” He knows our plans for the future but also for the present. While we are hoping for what’s to come, we need to also be enjoying what He gave us today.
I struggle with anxiety and I put high pressures on myself. I had my life planned out for years and God literally did everything opposite of that plan. At the time, I wanted to be a nurse, have a family at a young age, have the dream house, be able to travel and live life to the fullest. It was hard for me to accept how my life was heading, especially seeing others do and have the things I wanted for myself. God did not neglect me from these things, but rather in His due time other blessings came. He had a different path for me to journey first.
I look back and see how God pushed me through so many different seasons and avenues that I never imagined. It made me stronger, wiser and honestly made my life more enjoyable than what I could have planned for myself. If God did not do a 180 from the plans I had for myself, I would never have the passions I do in the field of Psychology, I would never have gone back for my masters degree, would not have the friends I have today etc.. I needed God to shake my world and I needed to be patient with the hopes and dreams He gave me. There are elements of my life I currently long for deeply that have not been fulfilled yet. I hold onto these promises knowing that in God's timing, they will be fulfilled and better than I could ever imagine.
Joseph waited for 13 years, Abraham 25, and Moses 40 until God's promises were fulfilled. He has not forgotten about you! He has not left you aside! He has not stopped loving you!
God operates outside of time (especially outside of our timing) and in everything He does it’s for our good. We may not see it right away. We may not know why it seems like life isn’t going our way, but God knows and when we can submit and trust His process rather than constantly hyper focus on the timing being too long, it makes the present so much more enjoyable.
The Lord is on my side; I will not fear. What can man do to me? (Psalm 118:6). Knowing that my God is for me, not against me and that in all things, He works for good, I can wait patiently for the promises He has for me while still enjoying the blessings He gives me every day. We don’t need to wallow in pity when life is not what it seems to be. We don’t have to give up or lose hope in our Father when prayers are not fulfilled right away. In seasons of waiting, we can still find God leading and shaping us to prepare us for that blessing.
One thing that helped me was being honest with God. He can handle our frustration and hurt. Tell Him. But don’t just stop there. Also, submit to His plan even when you are frustrated. Obedience through frustration eventually turns into trust in what God is doing. I learned the hard way with this. There were many nights where I was frustrated and angry with God. Unfortunately, it took me to almost rock bottom for me to understand that I can be mad but still need to submit to God. There were and still are days that are hard to endure. This doesn’t just happen overnight. But when I submit to God even when I’m frustrated, over time frustrations lessen because He leads me where I need to go. I grow deep trust, comfort and adoration for my Lord. It is a beautiful experience.
Looking back, if God gave me the promises right away and the way I wanted them, I likely would have crashed and burned because I simply didn’t have the maturity of faith to realize that my faith comes in trusting Him, not in His promises. He had to work in me first; teaching and shaping me to trust Him.
It might feel like an eternity, but allow God to work in your life and open your heart to what He is doing now, because it may be the doorway to your prayers being answered or something even deeper and better than you ever could have imagined!
By Bethany Panza
It can feel as if you are throwing words to the sky and all that is coming back is emptiness and a sense of being unfulfilled. It can be exhausting, stressful and often feels like God does not see you. We can feel paralyzed and even start comparing ourselves to others wondering, “When is it my time”?
Don’t lose hope or strength! God hears your cries! He sees your heart! And He cares for you even deeper.
In 1 Peter 5:7 it says “Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you”. We often think that when we go to God during times that life is not lining up to the expectations and desires we put on ourselves, it means that God is not there or something is “wrong” . This is a false narrative we speak over ourselves.
We think this way often due to the pressures society, culture and social media play in our everyday lives. We’re programmed to expect everything to go our way… and now!
We can also envision our life a certain way so much that it feels like it should be our only acceptable reality and when it does not pan out the exact way we were hoping it to be, it completely shatters the delusion we created in our heads. This can cause internal strife and pain. When life is not going “our way”, we start comparing our supposed “lacks” to other people’s “blessings”. This will lead us to a certain downward spiral and we will miss the blessings and growth God is doing in our life now.
In Jeremiah it says, “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.” He knows our plans for the future but also for the present. While we are hoping for what’s to come, we need to also be enjoying what He gave us today.
I struggle with anxiety and I put high pressures on myself. I had my life planned out for years and God literally did everything opposite of that plan. At the time, I wanted to be a nurse, have a family at a young age, have the dream house, be able to travel and live life to the fullest. It was hard for me to accept how my life was heading, especially seeing others do and have the things I wanted for myself. God did not neglect me from these things, but rather in His due time other blessings came. He had a different path for me to journey first.
I look back and see how God pushed me through so many different seasons and avenues that I never imagined. It made me stronger, wiser and honestly made my life more enjoyable than what I could have planned for myself. If God did not do a 180 from the plans I had for myself, I would never have the passions I do in the field of Psychology, I would never have gone back for my masters degree, would not have the friends I have today etc.. I needed God to shake my world and I needed to be patient with the hopes and dreams He gave me. There are elements of my life I currently long for deeply that have not been fulfilled yet. I hold onto these promises knowing that in God's timing, they will be fulfilled and better than I could ever imagine.
Joseph waited for 13 years, Abraham 25, and Moses 40 until God's promises were fulfilled. He has not forgotten about you! He has not left you aside! He has not stopped loving you!
God operates outside of time (especially outside of our timing) and in everything He does it’s for our good. We may not see it right away. We may not know why it seems like life isn’t going our way, but God knows and when we can submit and trust His process rather than constantly hyper focus on the timing being too long, it makes the present so much more enjoyable.
The Lord is on my side; I will not fear. What can man do to me? (Psalm 118:6). Knowing that my God is for me, not against me and that in all things, He works for good, I can wait patiently for the promises He has for me while still enjoying the blessings He gives me every day. We don’t need to wallow in pity when life is not what it seems to be. We don’t have to give up or lose hope in our Father when prayers are not fulfilled right away. In seasons of waiting, we can still find God leading and shaping us to prepare us for that blessing.
One thing that helped me was being honest with God. He can handle our frustration and hurt. Tell Him. But don’t just stop there. Also, submit to His plan even when you are frustrated. Obedience through frustration eventually turns into trust in what God is doing. I learned the hard way with this. There were many nights where I was frustrated and angry with God. Unfortunately, it took me to almost rock bottom for me to understand that I can be mad but still need to submit to God. There were and still are days that are hard to endure. This doesn’t just happen overnight. But when I submit to God even when I’m frustrated, over time frustrations lessen because He leads me where I need to go. I grow deep trust, comfort and adoration for my Lord. It is a beautiful experience.
Looking back, if God gave me the promises right away and the way I wanted them, I likely would have crashed and burned because I simply didn’t have the maturity of faith to realize that my faith comes in trusting Him, not in His promises. He had to work in me first; teaching and shaping me to trust Him.
It might feel like an eternity, but allow God to work in your life and open your heart to what He is doing now, because it may be the doorway to your prayers being answered or something even deeper and better than you ever could have imagined!
By Bethany Panza
Posted in Women of Grace
1 Comment
I can relate to so many of the points you brought up. And in EVERY situation in HIS perfect time, He provided for me and blessed me in some very difficult circumstances, that came with a broken heart and broken dreams. Sometimes, He provides what we need and we don't even see it right away. Your blog is such a great reminder of His perfect love. Thanks Bethany!