Friday, November 1, 2013

DEVOTION: The God Who Is Never Late ~ by Shirley Corder

God promised Abraham that he would be the father of many nations. Time passed, and Abraham and Sarah became too old to have children. God seemed to have left it too late. Then, in their old age, Sarah bore Abraham a son.

Many times in our walk with the Lord my husband and I have faced situations when, like Abraham, we began to feel that the Lord had left things too late.

We had to have that money by 2 pm. It arrived the next day--but turned out it was only needed then. 

We were leaving on vacation at 12 midday and the car broke down at 8. The garage couldn't fix it until the next day. Disaster! We would arrive a day later than the rest of the family. Then they were delayed, and we arrived ahead of them. 

We had an accident and our car was written off. We had one week with a hire vehicle to replace the car. How we prayed. We signed for our new car on the way to return the hired one.

At times like this, we often became disheartened. Other times we were encouraged when Scriptures spoke directly to our situation. Once an acquaintance who knew nothing about our pending crisis made a significant remark. Another time we flicked the TV remote to the “God-channel” and a stranger living in a distant country spoke to our hearts in South Africa. Yet there were still times we wondered. Had He forgotten us? We knew He hadn't and yet . . .  When would God answer our prayers?

He was often late--by our standards. But we learned God has His own agenda. He is the Lord. Nothing is too hard for Him. And He is never too late.

Over to you: In which situation in your life does God seem to be running late? Ask Him if there is perhaps one thing you need to do while you wait for His perfect timing.

SHIRLEY CORDER lives on the coast in South Africa with her husband. Her book, Strength Renewed: Meditations for your Journey through Breast Cancer contains 90 meditations based on some of the ways God's Positioning System directed her through the rough times in the cancer valley. It is available globally in print or online in e-versions. 

Please visit Shirley through ShirleyCorder.com, where she encourages writers, or at RiseAndSoar.com, where she encourages those in the cancer valley. You can also meet with her on Twitter or FaceBook. Sign up for her newsletter.

10 comments:

  1. Thank you, Shirl. God is NEVER late. His schedule simply isn't disclosed to us all the time. But He is always with us, around us, and going before us. Isn't that wonderful?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Judith. You're so right. God is never late although sometimes it looks as if He is. Normally that's because we've run ahead of Him!

      Delete
  2. Such a great reminder,thank you. God's timing is perfect.

    ReplyDelete
  3. You have given me a lot to think on. Thank you.

    ReplyDelete
  4. I wanted to study Bible and theology when I was 18-19 and doing my Arts degree at university but couldn't. THIRTY years later, in my late forties, I finally got to do that theology degree! God certainly is never in a hurry, but this happened for me just at the right time, for sure.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yep, He has a way of working things out IN HIS TIME! :-)

      Delete
  5. Dear Shirley,
    What a great way to look at things: according to God's guidelines, not ours.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, but isn't it strange that often that's the last way we look at them? You'd think we'd learn!

      Delete