In Its Time

In my backyard, there are pots of lilies that I have anxiously been waiting for to bloom. Two days ago, I noticed that some of the pink lilies' buds had turned pink, indicating their imminent bloom. Waking up yesterday and heading outside for my quiet time, I was sure they would be open. To my disappointment, they were not. They simply weren't ready to open yet. What difference one extra day makes, I don't know, because four of them were open this morning. Finally.

The other day, I was listening to my best friend back in Indiana talk about how she, too, has been waiting for things to bloom in her yard. She has planted and watered and waited and waited some more. She said that never before has she so looked forward to Spring. Why is this Spring different for her? Because she has put work into planting and is anticipating the beauty of it all.

Waiting is hard. When you have put so much work into something, it's hard to wait for the end result. There is so much anticipation, expectation, and hopefulness. But it can all wither away when the results don't come when expected. But don't lose heart.

There's a verse in Ecclesiastes 3 that can ease our impatience. Verse 11 says, "He has made everything beautiful in its time." 

It's interesting to me that this verse seems to be in the wrong tense. Shouldn't it say, He will make, instead of He has made? I'm sure the Bible writers didn't get it wrong. When you think about it, it's actually quite hopeful, because has lets us in on a little secret: He's already done it, whether we see it or not.

The pastor at my church says something quite often that, for a while, I struggled to understand. But I think I get it now. He says that we live in the "already, but not yet." God has already won the battle, but the end isn't her yet. God has already saved us, but we're not home with him yet. God has already (fill in the blank), but (fill in the blank) yet. 

What are you hoping for? What are you waiting for? I'm waiting for healing. So often, I wonder, "Why can't it just be now? Why can't it be done now? Why do I have to keep waiting?" Like that lily, what difference does one extra day in its bud make? Why couldn't it have bloomed the day before? Why can't my healing be today?

Timing. It's all about timing. God knows the timing of when things need to happen. Our job is to trust Him. I couldn't make that lily bloom. All I could do was wait, give it water and food, and trust that when it was ready, it would bloom. I can't make my healing be today. All I can do is trust that God has the perfect timing for my healing. In the mean time, I continue to soak up His Word, drink in His presence, and wait.

If the lily would have bloomed when I wanted it to, it wouldn't have been ready. It needed some things before it could bloom. I think that if God were to heal me now, I wouldn't be ready. In this process of waiting, I'm getting to know Him in ways I don't believe I would if my healing were instant. If God stripped off all the layers that require healing in one go, I don't think I'd survive it. And I would miss out on so much of what He wants to do in this process.

I am healed, but not yet. He has made Mindy beautiful in her time. Trust His timing. You won't be sorry.