Life comes at us so quickly, it could be easy for us to miss how God’s timing is at work.
On Sunday, my family went for a walk to the local ice cream shop. It was a beautiful evening. The ice cream shop was packed with people we know, and the fellowship was amazing. As we started our journey back home, I received a phone call from a friend. He told me he had come to town to check on one of the church members who has health issues who did not make it to church that morning. He tried to call her several times throughout the day with no response and felt prompted to come to town to assure she was ok.
He asked me if I would join him in trying to contact her. In God’s providential timing, my family was walking past the street where the church member lives, so Nancy and I made our way to the house. As I knocked on the front door, our friend went to the back door. He found a door that was unlocked. He entered the home and found the church member laying on the floor in the bathroom. She was alert and breathing. She had fallen and could not get up. As a First Responder, I called 9-1-1 and started an initial assessment. She was taken by ambulance to the hospital where she continues to receive treatment.
God’s timing and people’s obedience come together to meet an unknown need. First, the friend was sensitive to the Spirit of the Lord who prompted him to check on the church member before he ended his day and rested at home. Second, the Lord’s timing had Nancy and me nearby on a walk. Third, the unlocked door allowed us to find the church member. Finally, a quick response from the ambulance and First Responders that were able to get her to the hospital.
In Proverbs 3:5-6 we read, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not rely on your own insight. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.” God’s timing is perfect, yet we miss God’s timing because we bounce from experience to experience without pausing to count the blessings in the moment. We get caught up in the busyness of life and miss the opportunity to acknowledge how the Lord’s guidance and presence got us to where we are. We tend to “thank God” she was found, without stopping to really understand all the movable parts God brought together.
I give God thanks that I was part of God at work and for my friend who was obedient to God’s call on his life to not stop in the day until he knew our mutual friend was fine. I trust the Lord’s timing, even when it does not always seem optimal.
Prayer: Lord, thank you for your timing. Give me patience when it seems your timing and my desire are not in harmony. Slow me down in life so I can see your hand at work. Please be with our friend who needs your healing touch. In Jesus’ name. Amen.