By David Melber | BCH Chief Executive Officer
Is there any such thing as perfect timing?
Think of a child waiting impatiently for school to let out, for dessert to be served, or for playtime to begin. That child will certainly show his or her displeasure at having to wait. As adults, we are honestly not much different. We may not voice our aggravation, but while we wait our thoughts are often rendered useless as we fixate on what has not yet happened.
In the book of Job, my favorite passage is the discourse that begins in chapter 38:1 and continues through 42:6. God describes countless workings of the cosmos that He brings forth, and He points to the most ordinary and seemingly insignificant behaviors in the animal world to declare that He holds control over all things, down to the birthing of mountain goats and the length of their gestation. These chapters stretch us beyond human understanding, revealing the breadth of God’s rule, His intimate control of the world, His detailed work in every aspect of life, and the perfection of His timing in all things.
When timing raises questions
In our area of ministry with children and families in difficult circumstances, timing is one of those aspects of life that raises more questions than answers. Why does suffering last longer than it should? Why suffer at all? Why do some situations never seem to resolve? These questions confirm the brokenness of the world, and at the same time they fix our attention squarely on timing. Those we serve come to us with deep questions about suffering and the events they have experienced. At this point, I have yet to know of a single child who has come to us as a Christ follower. As a result, they do not know God, and if they believe there is a God, they are often bitter and angry toward the One who allowed their circumstances to occur.
Living in the in-between
Throughout biblical history, people questioned God’s timing no differently than we question it today. The book of Psalms returns to this theme again and again. We live in the land of the between, in the tension of the already and the not yet. We long for the future, for the relief that is coming, for the end of all things unpleasant. Heaven is that place. In the meantime, God has us here for what is before us today.
Before us today are opportunities to invest in others, and more specifically to see God’s Kingdom expand as people come to know Christ or walk with Him in obedience more faithfully. This gets to the root of learning to live with God’s perfect timing. His timing is seldom as fast as we would like, and it usually includes some measure of suffering or affliction along the way, which serves to center our hearts on Him rather than on the pains of this world.
Equipped through affliction
There is another key byproduct of our suffering as we wait and endure. It equips us to minister to others. Right now, Satan may be telling you that your past and your brokenness make you unable to serve. Nothing could be further from the truth. Your past, together with God’s perfect timing in allowing pain and difficulty to have their full effect in you, is the very preparation each of us needs. I am reminded of Paul’s words in 2 Corinthians 1:8–10:
“For we do not want you to be unaware, brothers, of the affliction we experienced in Asia. For we were so utterly burdened beyond our strength that we despaired of life itself. Indeed, we felt that we had received the sentence of death. But that was to make us rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead. He delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us. On him we have set our hope that he will deliver us again.”
In the verses just prior to this passage, Paul writes, “if we were afflicted, it is for your comfort and salvation.” Imagine that. What an incredible statement. God’s timing was not about relief; it was about equipping and empowering His people so that eternal purposes could be accomplished. From an earthly perspective, pain and difficulty are to be avoided and relieved as quickly as possible. From an eternal perspective, that same pain is useful and necessary, teaching me to rely more deeply on God and thoroughly equipping me to serve others in their brokenness.
Sharing hope in the waiting
If you have experienced pain and difficulty, perhaps you are still in that place today. If so, accept God’s gracious gift in this season and trust Him more deeply. Recognize, too, that while you wait for His timing, God is equipping you to serve others just as He did with Paul.
At BCH we have an unending supply of children and families enduring pain. They need people like you and me to step into their lives, to share our own stories of waiting on God’s perfect timing, and to lead them to the only One who makes sense of the brokenness of this world, the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Maybe the perfect timing is right now for you to step out in faith and serve with us today.
