The Right Time

They say timing is everything.

Great timing can leave us feeling confident and pleased with ourselves. Like a perfectly timed batch of cookies. Firm, but not burnt. Gooey, but not just cookie dough. (Although I’ve never met anyone that complained about eating cookie dough, but that’s another thought…)

But bad timing can make you feel pretty rough. When you rush through a yellow light and your heart is thumping… bad timing. When you’re dancing and you and your partner keep stepping on each other’s feet… bad timing. When you send that text message and it may only be minutes but the response seems to take hours and your mind has plenty of time to race to all kinds of places… bad timing. Worry, stress, frustration. All side effects of bad timing.

But would you like to hear a silver lining? The Bible teaches us that there are “times” for each and every emotion. Each and every occasion. Each and every feeling.

And even better news? If we’re in tune with God, our timing can’t be “bad”. God controls the clock, and that is such a gift.

Read this super long passage from Ecclesiastes. I especially love this version from The Message Bible because it explains it so clearly… There is truly a time for everything!

Ecclesiastes 3: 1-15 (The Message)

There’s an opportune time to do things, a right time for everything on the earth:

A right time for birth and another for death, A right time to plant and another to reap, A right time to kill and another to heal, A right time to destroy and another to construct, A right time to cry and another to laugh, A right time to lament and another to cheer, A right time to make love and another to abstain, A right time to embrace and another to part, A right time to search and another to count your losses, A right time to hold on and another to let go, A right time to rip out and another to mend, A right time to shut up and another to speak up, A right time to love and another to hate, A right time to wage war and another to make peace.

But in the end, does it really make a difference what anyone does? I’ve had a good look at what God has given us to do—busywork, mostly. True, God made everything beautiful in itself and in its time—but he’s left us in the dark, so we can never know what God is up to, whether he’s coming or going. I’ve decided that there’s nothing better to do than go ahead and have a good time and get the most we can out of life. That’s it—eat, drink, and make the most of your job. It’s God’s gift.

I’ve also concluded that whatever God does, that’s the way it’s going to be, always. No addition, no subtraction. God’s done it and that’s it. That’s so we’ll quit asking questions and simply worship in holy fear.

Whatever was, is. Whatever will be, is. That’s how it always is with God.

Wow. My heart can rest easy in this truth. God’s timing (one of my favorite topics) is so beautifully orchestrated, and it’s always the right time to follow his call.

Did you notice in the passage above about half of the “times” seem easy or positive (birth, plant, heal, construct, laugh, cheer, make love, embrace, search, hold on, mend, speak up, love, and make peace) while the other half of the “times” sound like times that honestly I’d rather avoid?? Death, reap, kill, destroy, cry, lament, abstain, part, count your losses, let go, rip out, shut up, hate, wage war… Wow. Sounds like a bunch of fun times, right?

Well here’s the thing… While we are promised times of joy and times of sorrow, none of times can be categorized as completely “good” or “bad” times. Why? Because when God is working together all of these occasions, all of these emotions, all of these times for us, we can trust that ultimately His plan for us is good and we can trust in His promises.

His timing is always good, even when the current time may not feel that way.

Lord, thank you for your perfect timing. Thank you for creating us to be people of emotion and feeling. Thank you for allowing us to experience life and all of it’s great adventures in perfect step with your plans for us.