Are we in God’s timing or our own? It’s an important question and can determine our success and realm of peace in which we walk.
Some people receive messages and insights from dreams and visions. More often than not the Lord speaks His words to me through life situations. I often live it—no matter how bizarre.
One of those bizarre scenarios occurred again recently, it was a message in the present which we need to take to heart for the future. It is about God’s timing versus ours.
Are we on God’s timetable or our own?
I was on a business trip to Nashville earlier this month. I planned to make two stops along the way to connect with people. I mapped out my driving directions and how long each portion of the trip would take so I would know my estimated time of arrival.
The first day’s trip should have been 7 hours—6 hours and 54 minutes to be exact. I had a friend with me that I was dropping off in Memphis. I added in the time for that detour to the trip. After saying good-bye and dropping her off I got back on the road ready for some focused prayer and processing time with God.
The highway had very little traffic. My husband will tell you, I have a little bit of a lead (or is that led) foot. I usually drive either the speed limit or five mph over the limit. Although the speed limit was seventy mph, as the hours ticked away I realized that for most of the trip I was actually travelling at 85 mph. I share that because it is significant to the story.
Remember the trip should have taken seven hours plus the added time for the short detour. I made only a couple of stops which totaled 15-20 minutes max.
Calculating the trip at 85 mph it should have taken 5 hours and 28 minutes.
I monitored my progress at the increased speed on the map on my phone. Strangely, I was making no better time toward my estimated time of arrival. With an hour left in the trip I hit traffic issues on every road heading to my destination. In the end rather than arriving an hour and a half ahead of schedule, I arrived two hours LATER than anticipated. Weird.
When weird things happen, we need to pay attention.
The next day I traveled from Chattanooga, TN to Nashville. Again, before starting I googled the journey which showed a two-hour trip almost to the minute. Because of what had transpired the day before and the inability to arrive early despite the increased speed, I wanted to press in and see if the Lord was speaking.
Once again, I drive at 15 mph over the speed limit where traffic permitted and see if my arrival time corresponded with the increased rate. Mathematically, the two-hour trip should have taken 1 hour 35 minutes.
There was little traffic on the road that day and I was able to drive at the increased speed the entire trip. But when I pulled into my destination rather than arriving early, I arrived EXACTLY at the two-hour projected time as if I had been driving the speed limit of 70 mph. I didn’t arrive even a minute earlier.
Intrigued, I prayed into the scenario determined that I would test it one more time on my return trip.
SEE ALSO:
When the business trip concluded two days later, I jumped back in my car ready to head home. You know exactly what I did by now which is to calculate the projected time for the trip at the speed limit and then also what it would be if I drove 15 mph over the limit—which again I did as a test.
(OK, this is not normal for me to speed like this whenever I get into the car, please understand at this point I was testing what was happening.)
According to google, the trip should take 5 hours and seven minutes at 70 mph. Before getting on the road, I filled up my tank, grabbed fast food to eat in the car and hit the road determined to drive straight through. I did have to stop and added 20 minutes to my trip time. According to the calculations at 15 mph over the limit—which I maintained—I should have arrived at my destination in four hours—with the stop–4 hours and twenty minutes.
As I pulled into the drive of my destination I looked at my watch. Rather than the reduced time of four hours and twenty minutes. The trip had taken five and a half hours—what it would have taken if I had driven the speed limit along with the added 20-minute stop.
My increased speed had not increased how quickly I arrived at my destination, not one time during the trip. No matter how much I ramped up my speed, I never reached my destination any sooner.
SEE ALSO:
And this is what the Lord spoke to my heart,
“No matter how hard you may try to reach your destination early, I don’t want you too. Trust Me with your time table. You need to stay in My time frame and plan. I have a plan and purpose and timing that you cannot understand, but which is essential. Trust me. You may be anxious to arrive sooner, but that is your plan not mine. Rest and stay within my boundaries and purposes and I will get you where you need to go at exactly the right time.”
I believe that is a word for this hour—and not just for me.
There are many who are frustrated with the season you find yourself. You see the destination where you want to be, but no matter how hard you push to increase your speed, you can’t seem to get there. Your efforts, your work your diligence isn’t acknowledged and it seems the distance to achieving your goals isn’t coming any closer.
You’ve even felt it was the Enemy preventing your progress but let me say that’s not always the case. This is about His plan, purposes and timing in your life.
“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord. “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” Isaiah 55:8-9
His word for this hour is that we need to “drive” right along with Him. This is not a time to speed through and get ahead of His plan. Exceeding our limits physically and mentally to push through and speed up aren’t going to help us reach our destination faster but may cause delays later.
Remember we are in a marathon, not a sprint. In order to stay in the game, we need to stay focused on Him and His timetable. I sense even as I write this, that we cannot afford to ignore the Sabbath rest. You may ignore it, but it’s not going to get you where you need to go any faster than if you had taken it as a time of worship and restoration.
We are heading into interesting times. The word He speaks now is that we must learn to rest and trust Him.
“Trust Me that I have you right where you need to be and you will get to your destination safely at just the right time.”
