God’s timing creates hours of conversation. Moments in scripture show how quickly and powerfully God will move. Other moments show his patience. In 2018 I missed some opportunities because I waited or even hid from answering God’s call. Going into 2019 I knew my major goal for the year should focus on obedience.

Vocalizing the goal didn’t make it easier, if anything it was harder! As I sat in my room working on a Saturday morning devotional, I really felt I needed to share what my study covered with a friend. Now, we are friends, but not friends who send Jesus-related text messages. We both shared the same faith, but our conversations typically revolved around completing a task or planning a project. So…I hesitated.

I left my room, went to the kitchen for some food and sat down in the living room to catch some Saturday morning television (Rock the Park is a great show)! Five minutes ticked by… I sighed, walked back to my room to grab my phone and began to draft the words on my heart.

The Challenge

The church he attends faced some real challenges. After a season of what felt like drowning, the aftermath of constantly remaining above water wore on volunteers, leaders, and employees. My devotional was on 1 Corinthians 12:12-27 – the many parts of the body of Christ and our last conversation was saturated in the idea of not being enough or not possessing a solution.

Five minutes of hesitation. Another five minutes of drafting a novel of a text message that ultimately said the right people to advance the Kingdom sit in the room – we do not carry the expectation to be the body we are only called to be a part. I hit send, left my phone in my room and went back to watch Rock the Park.

Waiting

Later that day, I got a response. In God’s grace, knowing I felt guilty for hesitating. In God’s sovereignty for knowing what we need at the precise moment, my friend read the message at such a precise moment. He and the other leaders of the church opened the cap of the marker to list the problems facing the church. He read the text aloud before the moved forward with their discussion.

God used my hesitation. My jaw dropped as I read his response. I didn’t know about the meeting. I couldn’t seem to process the feelings of “wow, I really heard God speak” because only He can orchestrate those puzzle pieces into place in such perfect rhythm. Even when I already conceding to messing it up by hesitating.

God’s Timing – quick & slow

When reading through the book of Acts, I got to chapter 8. Here I read about the Samaritans who confessed and experienced baptism but the Holy Spirit didn’t come to them until a precise time. I thought back to that simple text message. Divine hesitation. Let’s read some from Acts 8.

Acts 8:14-17

Now when the apostles at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent to them Peter and John, who came down and prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit, or he had not yet fallen on any of them, but they had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. Then they laid their hands on them and they received the Holy Spirit.

ESV, Holy Bible; emphasis added

Alright, context matters so first let’s frame the situation. Jesus has been crucified, buried, resurrected, and ascended. Jesus is in heaven and the work of sharing the gospel is in spirit guided hands of the apostles. The apostles are rocking it – they are preaching, teaching, serving, and growing. The number of followers grows so much the apostles raised up deacons to help serve. A lot is going on, but it is all going on within the boundaries of Jerusalem. That detail matters. Up to now, the gospel message reaches people within the same nation. The Samaritans change that.

The Lord sovereignly waited for the apostles to serve as witnesses to the transformative power of the gospel in a people group outside of Jerusalem. With so much bitterness between Jews and Samaritans, the powerful witness and testimonies of Peter and John would serve as healing among the growing family of God.

Seeing the Power of God’s Timing

The passage in Acts 8 shows the first clearly accounted for inclusion of believers outside of Jerusalem. We read they heard, believed, and were baptized but the Holy Spirit did not seem to take root immediately. Word got to Peter and John who came to visit he Samaritans and pray for them. In one swift sentence – they laid their hands on them and they received the Holy Spirit – we see the power of a divine hesitation.

Divine Hesitation

Divine hesitation. We talk a lot about God making us wait for things or waiting as a means of growing our character, but where is God waiting on us? In God’s timing, he waited on Peter and John to arrive in Samaria (which would take several days to travel). He waited on me for 10 minutes, but lets be real – he waits on me a lot, every hour of every day.

Sources:
For in-depth chapter-by-chapter studies, I enjoy the ESV Illuminated Scripture Journals for extended note taking
ESV Bible
Christ-Centered Exposition: Exalting Jesus in Acts by Tony Merida

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