God's Appointment

[0:00] A Pastor's Reflections, God's Appointments, Exodus 9, 5, and 6. And the Lord appointed a set time, saying, Tomorrow the Lord shall do this thing in the land.

[0:13] And the Lord did that thing on the morrow. Hebrews 9, 27. It is appointed unto man once to die, but after this the judgment.

[0:23] Psalms 31, 14, and 15. But I trusted in thee, O Lord. I said, Thou art my God. My times are in thy hand.

[0:35] God's timing is always a mystery to the mind of man. Because man's perspective is limited, he finds it very hard to grasp a God who has unlimited perspective. Not only does God see the full picture, he sees it from angles and in ways that man could never even imagine.

[0:57] The Bible gives us a very different perspective on the circumstances it presents to us than what the people at the time must have felt living through those circumstances.

[1:09] God's Word gives us the benefit of seeing things as God sees them. But we would have felt very different about those same circumstances if we had lived through them. John 12, 23. And Jesus answered them, saying, The hour is come, that the Son of Man shall be glorified.

[1:30] Imagine what it was like for God's people living in Egypt as God was bringing plagues and judgment upon Egypt. Israel did not know how many plagues were coming or what one was next.

[1:42] They had no idea when Pharaoh would let them go or even if he would. Yes, they had been told by Moses that God would deliver them. But the circumstances looked very different.

[1:54] What if Pharaoh decided he had had enough and sent his army to eradicate all the Hebrews? Would God's deliverance come in time? God's perspective?

[2:07] Everything was still right on time. No matter how the circumstances appeared, God had not missed one of his appointments. God is 100% punctual. When he makes an appointment, there is no possibility of it being broken or postponed.

[2:24] For you and I, we have to come to terms with the fact that we do not know, and will not know, all of the details of God's appointments. We need to simply trust him and respond to the invitation that he sends.

[2:36] The next time, you can't seem to understand God's timing. Remember that he does. Proverbs 16, 9 A man's heart devises his way, but the Lord directs his steps.

[2:52] Father, thank you for the opportunity to live a life that is completely within your planning and appointment. Thank you that I never need to fear that you will mess up the schedule or miss an appointment.

[3:03] Give me a perspective that always keeps your timing in view. Amen.