God's Timing

Been thinking about circumstances of life lately.  I've always heard the phrase, God's Timing is Perfect.  It's usually in response to something I hoped would happen, but doesn't.  You know...that long-awaited job or meeting that "special someone."  It's kind of a catch-all phrase that's used in Christian circles.  I understand why people say it and I've said it myself.  It is some comfort when paired with understanding God's sovereignty.  God knows that everything I hope for doesn't need to unfold exactly like I'd imagined.  He sees the big picture. He knows what I need and when it's needed.  The operative word here is need.  I won't even get into the wants.

Lately, though, I've seen this timing thing work out in my life in so many small ways as God reveals and gifts things to me exactly when I need it.  These little things that happen are so easily overlooked.

Example: Recently I started having a feeling of anxiety in my gut.  I've had this feeling in the past, but it's been a while.  It's almost like a stomachache without actual pain.  But, it's definitely emotional pain.  I thought most of that emotional distress was behind me and I began to wonder why this feeling had returned?  Instead of trying to figure it out for myself, I took this concern to God in prayer.  I asked God to tell me why this particular emotional pain was happening again.  I didn't get my answer that day.  However, the next day I began to feel it again about the same time of day.  Once again I asked God to tell me why I was experiencing this anxiety.  I was ready to deal with this.  God immediately brought to mind those other times when I experienced this pain.  In each occurrance, the pain was associated with two particular emotions:  Fear of the Unknown and Loss of Control.  Ah-Ha!   That's exactly what has been going on.  I had an answer.  God's timing was just right.

You see, God had asked me to give up control over a particular area of my life.  Until then I had not realized how much I had been trying to control things myself.  I surrendered control to Him.  So, the side-effect of surrendering control is facing that fear of the unknown and loss of control.  Now that I know what's going on, God and I will deal with it.  Oh, and that anxious feeling in my gut went away as soon as I realized the truth.  And if it does come back, I'll know that I'm trying to take over again.

A much smaller example of this gift of God's timing are the encouraging messages from friends just when I need to hear from someone, a sweet hug, or a really good belly-laugh just when I need it.  He always knows what I need, even when I don't know.  God is good and his timing is perfect!