March 10, 2013 … God’s Timing is His … Not Ours!

Daily Berry Patch Devotions in 2013 - Day 69

Passage of the Day: Joel 2: 25a [in the context of Joel 2: 23-27 [NLT] …  
23 Rejoice, you people of Jerusalem! Rejoice in the LORD your God! For the rains he sends are an expression of his grace. Once more the autumn rains will come, as well as the rains of spring. 24 The threshing floors will again be piled high with grain, and the presses will overflow with wine and olive oil. 25 The LORD says, “I will give you back what you lost to the stripping locusts, the cutting locusts, the swarming locusts, and the hopping locusts. It was I who sent this great destroying army against you. 26 Once again you will have all the food you want, and you will praise the LORD your God, who does these miracles for you. Never again will my people be disgraced like this. 27 Then you will know that I am here among my people of Israel and that I alone am the LORD your God. My people will never again be disgraced like this. 
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Contextual Study of today’s passage: Joel, Chapter 2 [NLT] … Go to this link … 
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Reference Passage #1: Ecclesiastes 3: 1, 11 : [God’s timing is God’s timing!] …[NLT] …  
1 There is a time for everything, a season for every activity under heaven. … 
11 God has made everything beautiful for its own time. He has planted eternity in the human heart, but even so, people cannot see the whole scope of God’s work from beginning to end. 

Reference Passage #2: Proverbs 3: 5-6 : [Trust in God’s timing! ] …[NLT] …  
5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. 6 Seek His will in all you do, and He will direct your paths. 

Reference Passage #3: Isaiah 55: 8-9 : [There are just some things we cannot or will not be able to see or understand. … God is God and we are not! ] …[NLT] … 
 8 “My thoughts are completely different from yours,” says the LORD. “And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine. 9 For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts. 

My Journal for Today: Once again, in my recent series of devotionals from Os Hillman, I end up quoting from Proverbs 3: 5-6 as a reference passage, … this time in the context of interpreting and applying a truth about God’s timing being obscured from our human understanding. Joel 2: 23-27, quoted above for our meditation, contains a wonderful promise to God’s people in a time when they had experienced a horrible time of privation from invading armies (pictured by Joel as “the locusts” devouring the lands). And God promises a restoration and a renewal and expects His children to trust Him as their Heavenly Father to restore them and the land.

But when we’re in the midst of such trials, troubles, or tribulations, it’s hard – if not impossible – to see and understand that God has sent the testing or temptations for a reason … HIS reason [see Isaiah 55: 8-9]; and not being God we simply can’t perceive God’s reasoning or His timing. Solomon wrote about this in his later-life revelations in the book of Ecclesiastes (see Ecclesiastes 3: 1 and 11 above). God’s timing is God’s timing; and there are going to be times when we just don’t have a clue; and I’d bet you can recall a time – perhaps you’re in it right now – when things were rough, maybe even seemingly impossible – and you just wanted to throw in all the cards and fold! …

But … But … But!!!  

BUT (and it’s one of those really big “BUTS” that God sends our way!) … these are times when we have to go into a “Prov. 3: 5-6” surrender mode and just trust that God knows what HE is doing. Because my friend, God is God and we are not!

I have a dear friend and brother in Christ right now who is in one of those times where the locusts of life are – in his perception – ripping him apart. Life, at this time for my friend, just seems totally not right, … way unfair, … and at times just too tough to bare!

I know what he feels like. I’ve been there! But all I can do is be there for him and pray that he will trust that God will do what He promised through Joel or Solomon above. … And I’m praying that my friend will trust that God – in spite of this time of the locusts – will restore him and give him a time of renewed hope in Christ. And He will; … because that’s God’s promise; and so, … I’ll continue to pray that my friend sees that truth and that God will restore, … SOON … for my friend, … what the locusts have eaten.

My Prayer for Today … Lord, Your promise of renewal – in Your timing – is Your promise; and I do so pray for that – SOON – for my friend! … Amen