“At the right time, I, the Lord, will make it happen”

We often hear that we are to wait on God and that He will always surprise us with something better. It’s a promise of hope, but does the Bible say anything about it? People will quote Scripture to boost their spirits, such as, in the right time, I, the Lord will make it happen. But my question for you is, are we turning God into a genie where His timeline is lining up with ours? Or are we lining up our lives for the heavy calling of dying to oneself? Are we making it into something we deserve?

Another thing about this phrase that gets me is that it takes away our responsibility to act. Now, don’t get me wrong, I believe God plays an active part in our lives, but I also trust that we have the ability to walk in action as well. God is Sovereign, which means He is all-powerful in our lives. However, I do not believe that He pulls our puppet strings. It’s more like teaching a toddler to walk and being behind to catch him if he falls. You don’t redirect something unless it is going to harm him. Same with our Heavenly Father, He sees and knows our steps. He directs them, but He never makes them for us. He will lead and guide our minds and lives, but He does not control every step like a puppeteer would. He knows; He does not control.

That being said, He uses our detours for good and teaches us lessons through them. We must learn to embrace the silence, for in it He is still working. One such example for which I discovered a whole new meaning is found in John 11.

Therefore the sisters sent to Him, saying, “Lord, behold, he whom You love is sick.” When Jesus heard that, He said, “This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified through it.” Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. So, when He heard that he was sick, He stayed two more days in the place where He was.

John 11:3-6

Coming to reality

Lazarus was dying. He was in a condition where he needed help, but time was running out. His sisters were scared and could see the days approaching. In their distress, they called on Jesus. They were in a position to realize He was the only one who could help. Often, we are like Lazarus. We have a situation and want it fixed in our timing. Yet, Jesus decides to postpone His arrival and not go with our timeline. So what happens?

We become like Martha, “Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died. But even now I know that whatever You ask of God, God will give You.” We come to reality with our problem and start to blame God for His timing and then cover it in chocolate and say a feel-good reminder. But Jesus never said it’s over. He said her brother would rise again. Martha was in denial and didn’t want to hope for the improbable. Instead, she said, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.” But Jesus said, do you believe I am the resurrection and the life? Martha didn’t realize what was happening. All she did was believe in who Jesus is. She trusted His character and His faithfulness.

Mary, the other sister of Lazarus, said the same thing. If only You had been here… often I hear that very thought come out of my mind. If only You had done this. Yet, do we really know the beauty of His plan? The death of Lazarus and the love He had for him brought Jesus to tears. He wept. He cried and grieved while some said “Could not this Man, who opened the eyes of the blind, also have kept this man from dying?”.

His timing

When Jesus first heard the news of Lazarus’ illness, He declared healing over it.

When Jesus heard that, He said, “This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified through it.”

John 11:4

In verse 39, He started to take action, and Martha met Him with logic.

Jesus said, “Take away the stone.” Martha, the sister of him who was dead, said to Him, “Lord, by this time there is a stench, for he has been dead four days.” Jesus said to her, “Did I not say to you that if you would believe you would see the glory of God?”

John 11:39-40

But God,

Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead man was lying.[fn] And Jesus lifted up His eyes and said, “Father, I thank You that You have heard Me. And I know that You always hear Me, but because of the people who are standing by I said this, that they may believe that You sent Me.” Now when He had said these things, He cried with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come forth!” And he who had died came out bound hand and foot with graveclothes, and his face was wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Loose him, and let him go.”

John 11:41-44

God wasn’t done.

Four days

Me and my numbers… The number four is known in the Bible as the number of creation. This is what I found special when I saw this. On the fourth day of creating the world, the stars were made. They were made for time and seasons. Lazarus was dead for four days. Sometimes the delay we see is only a misunderstanding of God’s timing. The result was the same, Lazarus was healed. The difference was God’s power, grace, mercy, and love on display.

So looking back this Thanksgiving season, the scars we battle with are testimonies of His power. Those trials we go through are lessons we are taught by our Good Father.

Don’t give up hope even when what you are praying for is in the grave. But also do not chase something that God is protecting you from. Trust Him and His timing. No matter the process, the result is always better when we leave it to God.

Like that toddler, if we ask God to guide us, we will hear a voice from behind (Isaiah 30:21). But if we do it in our strength, we may run into something we regret or take the long way around. Let Him guide you as you trust in His timing.