I could write pages describing examples of God’s perfect timing in my life and the lives of those around me. One of my favorite examples starts with significant anxieties when my son, Max, was 2. Greg and I had numerous discussions about where we would send Max to kindergarten when the time came. At that time, I worked in Evansville, my husband worked in Newburgh, and we lived in Santa Claus. Max was attending a childcare centre in Newburgh. I wanted so badly for him to go to kindergarten in Santa Claus so he could make friends with kids in the neighborhood, but the thought of him being so far away from us throughout the day was so overwhelming to me. I cried and talked to others about the decision. I spent time with God about it and He very clearly told me to send him to school in Santa Claus and He would take care of the rest. I reluctantly did and moved on with my life. Fast forward to three months before Max started kindergarten; my husband was offered a job in Santa Claus, a 5-minute drive from Max’s school!

The Bible is full of evidence of God’s perfect timing. The book of Exodus sets the stage for the story of Moses by talking about the oppression and slavery of the Israelites, followed by the birth of Moses and his adoption into Pharaoh’s family. Exodus then begins the story of how Moses killed an Egyptian and fled to the land of Midian. There is a very short, 3-verse passage between that and the story of the burning bush when God HImself appears to Moses. In my English Standard Version Bible, this passage is titled “God Hears Israel’s Groaning.” This passage speaks on how God saw the slavery and oppression of His people. He heard them crying out for Him under their horrible treatment. He heard their cries; He saw them, and He knew. Our plan might have been for God to do something like snap His fingers, and at once cause all the Egyptians to collapse, saving the Israelites immediately. But our plans don’t consider everything God’s plans consider. While it didn’t seem that God was hearing or seeing them, God had a plan to save the Israelites using Moses. His timing and purpose were perfect.

In John, one of Jesus’ very best friends, Lazarus, died. John 11:5-6 says “Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. So, when He heard that Lazarus was sick, He stayed where He was for two more days.” Did you catch that very important two letter word at the beginning of the second sentence? He loved them so He stayed. It wasn’t that He loved them “yet” He stayed. He stayed because He loved them. Some Bible scholars say that He specifically waited two more days to ensure that Lazarus was dead and buried-making His miracle have even more impact. There were also cultural considerations around a body being truly dead after three days. These cultural beliefs are not backed Biblically so I won’t get into them here, however, Jesus knew that these cultural beliefs existed, and that people would be even more amazed at Lazarus being raised from the dead because of them. Jesus had already healed many people by that time, so if He were to have just healed Lazarus, He would have done what He had already done for many. By bringing him back from the dead, He did what He had only done for one. It was a new miracle.

The bottom line here is that even though it’s rarely easy to trust God’s timing, as hard as it is to slow down and wait for the Spirit’s leading, God is good and He knows the bigger picture. Romans 8:28 tells us, “All things work together for good to those who love God.” If we believe that and we trust that He wants what is best for us and He wants us to have good things, why shouldn’t we trust Him to orchestrate those things in the timing He has designed?