The Power of I Am: Two Words That Will Change Your Life Today (23 page)

The Scripture says, “Those who have believed enter into the rest of God.” The way you know you’re really believing is that you have a rest. You’re at peace. You know the answer is on the way. You know the right people and the right opportunities have already been set in your future.

On January 8, 1986, at four o’clock in the afternoon, I walked
into a jewelry store to buy a battery for my watch. Out walked the most beautiful girl I had ever seen. It was Victoria. I didn’t tell her, but I thought,
This is my set time.
It took me a year to convince her that it was her set time, too!

On December 3, 2003, at one thirty in the afternoon, when Mayor Brown handed us the keys to the Compaq Center, that was not an ordinary time. That was a set time ordained by the Most High God.

In the same way, there are set times in your future. You’ve prayed, believed, and stood in faith. Let me assure you that you’re going to come into set times of favor, a set time where a problem suddenly turns around, a set time where you meet the right person, a set time where a good break thrusts you years ahead.

That’s what Habakkuk said. “The vision is for an appointed time. It may seem slow in coming, but wait patiently, for it will surely come.” Not “maybe come.” Not “I hope so.” God has already set the date. The appointed time has already been put on your calendar. One translation says, “It won’t be one second late.”

Sometimes we think,
Everybody is getting ahead of me. My friends are all married, and I’m still single. My coworkers are being promoted, but I’m still stuck here.
Don’t get discouraged. God knows how to make up for what seems like lost time. God doesn’t always take us logically from A to B to C. Sometimes God will take you from A to B to C, and then thrust you all the way down to S, T, U, V. What happened? You hit a set time that pushed you fifty years ahead. Quit worrying about who’s getting ahead of you and just run your race. Be the best that you can be. Keep honoring God with your life. Keep treating people right, and God will get you to where you’re supposed to be. That promotion, that healing, that breakthrough, and that
right person won’t be one second late. Our God is not a random God. He is a precise God. He has lined up solutions for you down to the very second.

I know a young lady who was believing to meet the right man. She was in her early thirties and had never really had a serious relationship with anyone. She was starting to wonder if it was going to happen. One day she was driving home from work, had a flat tire, and pulled over on the side of the freeway. In a few seconds, another car pulled over. Out stepped a handsome young man who came up to her window and said, “Can I help you?”

She took one look at him and said,
“I think you can.”

He not only changed her tire, but he invited her out to dinner. They ended up falling in love. A year and a half later, they got married. Today, they’re as happy as can be. That wasn’t a coincidence. It wasn’t a lucky break. That was a set time ordained by the Creator of the universe. Think about how precise God’s timing is. The tire had to go flat at just the right time. An hour later, and it wouldn’t have happened. There had to be just the right amount of traffic. Too many cars, and he would’ve been late. Too few cars, and he would’ve been early. He had to leave his work at just the right time. One extra fifteen-minute phone call and that would have never worked out. The timing was down to the split second for it to all fall into place.

What am I saying? You can trust God’s timing. God has it all figured out. What you’re praying about and what you’re believing for are not going to be one second late. If it hasn’t happened yet, it doesn’t mean something is wrong. It doesn’t mean God is mad at you. It doesn’t mean it’s never going to work out. God has already
established the time down to the split second. You don’t have to worry. You don’t have to live frustrated. Stay in peace. Enter into this rest. God has you in the palm of His hand. Your steps are being directed by the Creator of the universe; not randomly, not vaguely. Down to the millisecond. Down to the most finite, small detail. When you understand this, it takes all of the pressure off. You won’t go around wondering when something is going to happen. “God, when are You going to change my husband? God, when are You going to answer my prayer?” When you know the time has been set, you’ll have a peace. Whether it’s twenty minutes or twenty years, you know that what God promised He will bring to pass.

A great prayer we should pray every day is, “God, give me the grace to accept Your timing.” I’d love to tell you that if you stay in faith, if you believe, God will always answer your prayer within twenty-four hours, or at least within the first week. But we know that’s not reality. God promises He will be true to His Word, but He never puts a time frame on it. It would be a lot easier if God told us when we were going to get well, when we would meet the right person, or when our child would straighten up. But that wouldn’t take any faith. It takes faith to say, “God, I don’t know
when
You are going to do it, but I trust You enough to believe that You
will
do it, that the answer is already in my future.”

The Scripture says, “The vision is for an appointed time.” The appointed time is the best time. God can see the big picture for our lives. He knows what’s up ahead. He knows what we’re going to need, who we’re going to need, and when they need to show up. If God did everything we ask on our timetable, it would limit us. Because sometimes, what we’re asking for is too small. Gods knows that the person we think we can’t live without is not going to be
good for us in ten years, so He is closing the door right now. God knows that if He gave us that promotion we want so badly right now, it would keep us from the much bigger promotion He has in store for us three years down the road. God has the advantage of seeing it all. The longer I live, the more I trust Him. How many times have I looked back and said, “God, thank You for not answering that prayer. Thank You for not letting that person into my life.” God knows what He is doing.

What you’re praying about may be good. It may be a part of your destiny, but it’s not the appointed time. If there is a right time, that means there is a wrong time. If it hasn’t happened yet, instead of being frustrated and worried and asking, “God, when is my business going to grow? God, I’m so lonely. When am I going to meet somebody?” have a new approach. “God, You know what’s best for me. You can see the big picture. I’m not going to live frustrated. God, I trust Your timing.”

We live in a society that wants everything right now. We’re being programmed for immediacy. Don’t make me wait. But the Scripture says, “It’s through faith and patience that we inherit the promises.” It’s easy to have faith. “God, I believe I’m going to accomplish my dreams. God, I believe I’m going to overcome this obstacle.” We have the faith part down. Let’s make sure we get the patience part down. “God, I’m not only going to believe for big things, but I trust Your timing. I’m not going to get discouraged if it doesn’t happen immediately. I’m not going to give up because it’s
taken a week, a month, or five years. I know the set time is already in my future, so I’m going to wait with faith and patience because I know that it’s on the way.”

When Victoria was pregnant with our son, Jonathan, the first few months were very exciting. Not a problem at all. But about six months in, Victoria started getting uncomfortable. Her feet started swelling. By the seventh month, her back was hurting. She couldn’t sleep well at night. By the eight month, she was saying, “God, I want to have this baby right now. I am tired of waiting.” But we knew God had an appointed time. The child was not ready. It was still growing, developing. If God let her have the baby early, the child may not have been healthy.

Sometimes we pray, “God, give me this promise right now. I’m uncomfortable. These people aren’t treating me right. Business is slow.” What we can’t see is that something is not ready. Maybe it’s another person who’s going to be involved. God is still working on them. Maybe it’s another situation that’s going to be a part of your destiny. It’s not in place yet. Or maybe God is doing a work in you, developing your character, growing you stronger in that process.

The Scripture says, “God didn’t take the Israelites the shortest route to the Promised Land, because He knew they were not prepared for war.” God could see the big picture. He knew that if He took them the shortest way, their enemies would be too powerful and they would be defeated. So on purpose, God took them a longer route to protect them and to strengthen them so that they could fulfill their destiny.

If something is not happening on your timetable, remind yourself, “God knows what He is doing. He has my best interests at heart. I wouldn’t be having this delay unless God had a very good reason for it.” And while you’re waiting, don’t make the mistake of trying to figure everything out. “God, I’ve been praying for my child for three
years. Why won’t he change?” If you’re constantly trying to figure things out, that’s only going to frustrate you. Turn it over to God. Say with David, “God, my times are in Your hands. I’m not going to worry about why something hasn’t happened or why it’s taking so long. God, I trust You. I know at the set time everything You promised me will come to pass.”

A couple of years after my father died, I really wanted to write a book. I had a strong desire, but I didn’t know any publishers or anything about the book industry. Several times I started to call a friend who did know a publisher, but I didn’t feel good about it. I knew it wasn’t right. Over the next couple of years, I was approached by different publishers and even offered a contract. On the surface it looked good. They were fine people, but inside I could hear a still, small voice telling me, “Joel, be patient. This is not the right one. Trust My timing. Something better is coming.”

I put it on hold month after month. I didn’t worry about it. I wasn’t frustrated. My attitude was,
God, my times are in Your hands. When You want me to write a book, I know You will open up the doors.

You can do the right thing at the wrong time and miss God’s best. Timing is everything. Be patient and let God open the doors. You may have to knock. You’ll have to put forth the effort. I’m a believer in being aggressive and pursuing dreams, but you don’t have to force doors to open. You don’t have to try to make people like you. You don’t have to talk yourself into it. If you’ll be patient and wait for God’s timing, He will
give
you the desires of your heart.

One day through a series of unusual events, I met this publisher. I knew they were the right people. I felt good about it. Everything fell into place. And that book,
Your Best Life Now
, went on to become a huge success and has been published in many languages. That’s what happens when you wait for God’s timing.

This principle is especially important when we’re facing challenges. If you get a negative medical report, if you lose your biggest client at the office, or if somebody at work is talking behind your back and trying to make you look bad, it’s easy to get all wrought up and think,
I have to get in there and straighten things out. I’m going to fix that person. I have to get a second job. I’ll never make it without that client.

So often we think we have to do it only in our own strength. This is when many people make quick decisions that end up only making matters worse. The Scripture says, “Be still and know that I am God.” When you feel overwhelmed and you’re tempted to take everything into your own hands, you have to make yourself be still. The battle is not yours. The battle is the Lord’s. But as long as you’re fighting it, trying to make it happen your way, trying to pay somebody back, upset, worried, then God is going to step back and let you do it on your own. But when you take it out of your hands and say, “God, I trust You. I know You have already set the time to bring me out. You’ve already set the time to vindicate me. You’ve set the time to bring healing. So I’m going to be still and know that You are God,” that’s when God will fight your battles.

This is what the Israelites did. They were surrounded by a huge army and greatly outnumbered. They were so worried and stressed out. They were getting their equipment on, trying to come up with
some type of strategy to fight off the enemy. Just before they went to battle, they decided to pray. God said to them, “Stand still, and you will see the deliverance of the Lord. For the Lord will fight for you, if you remain at rest.”

Notice the condition. God will turn it around. God will restore you. God will vindicate you,
if you will be still and remain at rest
. In other words, if you will wait for the set time, if you will be patient and not give birth to Ishmaels, then God has Isaacs in your future.

Maybe you’re facing a big challenge. You can’t sleep well at night. You’re upset and frustrated. God is saying to you what He said to them, “Be still. I have it all figured out. I control the whole universe. I’ve already set the time to deliver you. I’ve already set the time to not only bring you out, but to bring you out better off than you were before.”

Now do your part and rest. Trust God’s timing. God knows what He is doing. We may not understand why something is taking so long, but sometimes God will delay an answer on purpose simply so He can show His power in a greater way.

When Pharaoh wouldn’t let the Israelites go, God had Moses tell him that if Pharaoh didn’t change his mind, God was going to send plague after plague on Pharaoh and his people. The Scripture says that “God caused Pharaoh to harden his heart.” It wasn’t the enemy. God caused him to be stubborn and not give in.

Moses warned, “Pharaoh, if you don’t let us go, God is going to send locusts that are going to eat all your crops and destroy the food supply.”

Pharaoh replied, “I don’t care. Let Him do it. I’m not changing my mind.”

One bad plague after another, and he wouldn’t give in. Why? God wanted to show His power in a greater way. When all those plagues were harming Pharaoh and his people, not one plague affected the Israelites living in that same area.