God's Timing Is Always Perfect

In bitterness of soul Hannah wept much and prayed to the LORD. 11 And she made a vow, saying, "O LORD Almighty, if you will only look upon your servant's misery and remember me, and not forget your servant but give her a son, then I will give him to the LORD for all the days of his life, and no razor will ever be used on his head."

12 As she kept on praying to the LORD, Eli observed her mouth. 13 Hannah was praying in her heart, and her lips were moving but her voice was not heard. Eli thought she was drunk 14 and said to her, "How long will you keep on getting drunk? Get rid of your wine."

15 "Not so, my lord," Hannah replied, "I am a woman who is deeply troubled. I have not been drinking wine or beer; I was pouring out my soul to the LORD. 16 Do not take your servant for a wicked woman; I have been praying here out of my great anguish and grief."

17 Eli answered, "Go in peace, and may the God of Israel grant you what you have asked of him."

18 She said, "May your servant find favor in your eyes." Then she went her way and ate something, and her face was no longer downcast.

19 Early the next morning they arose and worshiped before the LORD and then went back to their home at Ramah. Elkanah lay with Hannah his wife, and the LORD remembered her. 20 So in the course of time Hannah conceived and gave birth to a son. She named him Samuel, saying, "Because I asked the LORD for him." 1 Samuel 1:10-20

Sometimes it's really hard to wait on God. Okay, maybe most times it's really hard to wait on God. We live in our time, our world, where we have calendars and deadlines. It's easy to look at a calendar and say "Lord, Andy needs to work by this date or we'll be in big trouble." It's difficult to instead say "Okay Lord, your will be done, but him to work when he needs to be at work." In Hannah's case above, God's timing was absolutely perfect. He needed Samuel to grow up and do great works for Him someday, and in order to do that, Hannah needed to be willing to give her precious son back to God. Had she conceived a child earlier in life, she would not have been so downcast and forlorn and so desiring the child that never comes. God saw this and waited until her heart was just right and ready for Samuel to come into her life.

Even though we have plenty of examples of waiting for God's timing in the Bible, it's still hard. I can read the stories and scripture and take encouragement from many men and women of God, but that doesn't make it any easier to wait on God's timing. Yet...while it's not easier to wait on God, we don't really have much choice in the matter right now. We've seen in the past what happens when we take matters into our own hands, it just causes more trouble in the end. So we wait. And we pray, and we listen carefully for that voice to tell us to take action. It will be there when we need it most, and all I can say is that I'm looking forward to it. In the meantime, I'm holding to hope and the knowledge that we have a Perfect God, and his timing is always Perfect.