A 70-year-old man walks down the aisle to receive his college degree. A
55-year-old woman marries for the first time. A 40-year-old former
housewife settles into a career. Even though it seems as though our
lives follow similar patterns, everyone operates on a different
schedule.
Have you ever known someone who reached a milestone in life at a
non-traditional age? Did you wonder what took so long or assume
something must have been wrong with him or her?
Too often, we get caught up in traditions that tell us when certain
things should be accomplished. Society says we should graduate, start a
career, get married, buy a house, have a child, and retire-in that
order, and each at a certain age. In following guidelines that our
culture sets before us, we tend to rush into life-changing decisions
without considering what God wants for us.
Have you ever wondered why so many people are unhappy with their
careers, why divorce is so rampant, or why people are often completely
unprepared to raise a family?
When we shortcut God's timing and attempt to accomplish our goals within
our own strength and on our own schedule, we will fail every single
time. We will not live a life of contentment or experience the peace
that comes from a sincere understanding of God's purpose.
To truly be in God's will, we must synchronize our clock with God's
clock. We must be willing to do what He asks of us when He asks us to do
it.
The life of Moses is an unmistakable example of the consequences of
shortcutting God's will. Instead of waiting on God's timing, Moses acted
on his own strength: he killed an Egyptian, was forced to flee from
Pharaoh, and remained in relative isolation for forty years. (Exodus
2:11-15)
Moses acted on reason rather than revelation. He asked himself, "What
can I do?" rather than, "What does God want me to do?" His irrational
mind convinced him that he could free two million Hebrews by killing one
Egyptian. He failed to see God's big picture.
Later, when he followed God's schedule, he was able to confront
Pharaoh's army and liberate an entire nation of people. Through Moses,
God performed the supernatural: He parted the Red Sea, defeated an
entire army, and freed the Hebrews.
So how can we apply the knowledge of Moses' life to our own modern
existence? First, we must realize what causes us to get ahead of God:
• Impatience - We aren't willing to wait on God's direction.
• Doubt - We question whether we heard God correctly.
• Pride - We think we can do it on our own or better than God can.
• Selfishness - We expect God to conform to our will.
• Rationalization - If our actions fit "what everyone else is doing," we
believe they are justified.
• Distorted view of God - We fail to realize that He knows all the
answers to our questions, even before we ask them.
Next, we must understand the consequences of following our own desires
and shortcutting God's will:
• Disappointment - Moses experienced the frustration that came from
acting on His own strength rather than waiting on God.
• Disharmony - Conflict and discord will inevitably come from acting on
our strength. For true peace, we must be in communication with Him.
• Denial of God's best - Was God's will accomplished through Moses? Yes.
Did Moses experience God's best? No. Moses spent forty years as a
fugitive because of his actions. Yet God used Moses regardless, and,
ultimately, molded the situation in accordance to His will.
• Spiritual defeat - When we live outside of God's will, we will
constantly experience defeat. Without God, we are relying on our own
flesh; and, as Christ says, "the flesh is weak" (Matthew 26:41). We
cannot win without the Lord.
Finally, we must realize that God will always fulfill His promise to
"cause all things to work together for good to those who love God, to
those who are called according to His purpose” (Romans 8:28, emphasis
added). When God gives us a promise, we must have:
• Faith - Faith believes the promise. We sincerely believe God will do
what He says.
• Hope - Hope anticipates the promise. We anticipate and look forward to
God acting on His vow.
• Patience - Patience quietly waits on the promise. Even as time
passes-in Moses' case, it was forty years-we must patiently wait on God
and realize He never forgets a promise. He will not overlook you, and He
has an appointed time to act on your needs.
You may think God has passed you by, or that your life is a waste. But,
if you are a believer and are open to God's call, that could not be
further from the truth.
Moses was 80-years-old when God called him into service. Even though he
lived for 120 years, he did not experience the true power of living in
God's will until the final one-third of his life.
Think about that. One of the most recognizable figures in the Bible-an
average man whom God utilized in a manner never seen before or since-did
not discover God's will until two-thirds of his life had passed! And
look at what God was able to accomplish in that final period of Moses'
life!
Does this mean that we should remain idle and apathetic to God until the
twilight of our lives? Of course not. But Moses' life is a clear example
of how God can use us anytime and anywhere, despite what we may have
done in the past and regardless of our circumstances. God can take the
most difficult, painful, or sinful situation and mold it, prune it, and
completely reverse it for His ultimate purpose.
Perhaps you're mired in an adverse situation or struggling with
conforming to society's standardized, inflexible timeline. If so, the
only way you will ever experience true peace is through surrendering
your will to God's timing.
When we're on God's clock, we'll never be late.
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