God’s Timing

At the marriage feast of Cana, Mary, the mother of Jesus, came to Him saying, “‘They have no wine.’  Jesus’ response was, ‘My hour has not yet come’” (John 2).  However, Mary’s faith put into action the first miracle in Jesus’ ministry.  This sequence of events is important to us as believers because we see that God’s timing in our lives is just as important as it was in Jesus’ life.  Timing makes all of the difference in fulfilling our destiny in Him.  First, we have to realize what season we are in.  God is continually preparing us for His promises to be fulfilled.  Mary’s instructions to the servants filling the wine pots were, “Whatever He says to you, do it.”  Secondly, we have to be obedient to the will of God and walk in His way.  Jesus told the servants “Fill the water pots with water.”  This speaks to us of being filled with the Word and with the Holy Spirit.  As we study God’s Word and allow the Holy Spirit to lead and guide us, we will recognize the season of training and preparation we are in.  When we know His voice and follow His instructions, we will know when to step out in faith to see our destiny fulfilled.  Galatians 6:8-9 tells us how to develop in our faith, “For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life.  And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart.”  Just as this was the beginning of miracles in Jesus’ ministry, as He stepped out, by faith, as we are obedient and activate our faith, our destinies are being fulfilled and God’s due season for our lives as believers is coming to pass.  Activate your faith and just like the servants at the wedding feast, “whatever He says to you, do it.”

His finished work

As Jesus prepared to go to the cross He spoke aloud to His heavenly Father, but also in front of His disciples, and said, “Now my soul is troubled, and what shall I say, ‘Father, save me from this hour?  But for this purpose I came to this hour.  Father, glorify your name’” (John 12:27-28).  As Jesus prophesied His own death, He questioned His disciples by asking, “What shall I say?  Save me, when My death is the very purpose that I came to accomplish?”  “For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil” (1 John 3:8).  We know that Jesus accomplished this purpose by His finished work on the cross.  The question that many Christians seem to struggle with is not what Jesus died for, but rather what is their purpose.  Ephesians 3:8-12 gives us the answer to this mystery.  “This grace was given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, and to make all see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the ages has been hidden in God who created all things through Jesus Christ; to the intent that now the manifold wisdom of God might be made known by the church to the principalities and powers in heavenly places, according to the eternal purpose which He accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord, in whom we have boldness and access with confidence through faith in Him.”  We are the church and our purpose is to receive the manifold wisdom of God so we can walk in authority, no matter what principalities and powers with which we have to deal.  Jesus’ completed work on the cross gave us boldness and access so we, by faith, can confidently fulfill our purpose and destiny.  We know that it is “Him Who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be the glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever” (Ephesians 3:20-21).  It is up to us to receive what He has already done.  To realize our purpose we must:

· Be intimate with Him.

· Seek Him through His Word.

· Pray diligently.

· Trust Him to accomplish His will in us.

“We know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose” (Romans 8:28).  “For as a man thinks (purposes) in his heart, so is he” (Proverbs 23:7).

No Vision

Proverbs 29:18 declares, “Where there is no vision, the people perish…”  This passage of scripture could just as easily read, “Where there is no prophetic revelation of destiny, the people perish.”  The word “vision” literally means exactly that, revelation of prophetic destiny.  As we continue to read, we see that without revelation of our destiny, we perish.  By translating the word “perish” from the Hebrew language, we discover that it means, “to be uncovered.”  It is easy to become caught in the trap of being so focused on our present circumstances that we lose sight of where we are going.  We then begin to think that we will never move beyond our day-to-day trials.  Through the Word of God and prayer, we must continually encourage ourselves that God does indeed have a destiny for us and that we are moving past where we are.  Genesis 15:1-6 is a perfect example of being stuck in your present circumstance with no vision for the future.  Even though God had already promised Abram that he would be the Father of many nations, all Abram could see was that he still went childless.  “Seeing” is the same issue that we fall victim to.  If we cannot see it, how can it be?  When God took Abram outside of his tent, He told him to look up at the multitude of stars.  This speaks to us of going outside of our circumstances and looking up to God.  Verse 6 tells us that when Abram looked up, he believed.  From that moment on, his focus was redirected and he believed that God had a destiny for him.  When we lose the focus of our destiny, we become uncovered and become victims of the enemy.  Israel was destined for the Promised Land, but instead of focusing on where they were going they could only see where they were.  It is time as overcoming, victorious Christians that we take our eyes off of our present circumstances and look ahead to our future.  We have a destiny in God. It is time to forget where we are and focus on where we are going.  Psalm 121:1-2 shows us the way to start: “I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help?  My help cometh from the Lord…”  Look up and believe. As we take the step of faith to press on to our destiny, we must start, “…looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith; Who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God” (Hebrews 12:2).  Jesus fulfilled His destiny so we could fulfill ours.

God Provides

As the children of Israel continued their sojourn, God supernaturally provided for them at every turn.  The Red Sea was parted for them just in time to save them from Pharaoh’s pursuing armies.  They walked across the sea on dry land, and every single one of their enemies perished trying to do the same (Exodus 14:19-31).  A cloud led them by day, and a fire appeared at night to protect them (Exodus 13:21).  God provided manna from Heaven to feed them (Exodus 16:4).  Water poured forth from a rock so that they could have plenty to drink (Exodus 17:2-6).  They were on their way to the Promise Land, and everything was looking good.  The deliverance of God’s people from Egypt was a result of answered prayer.  It was also a shadow, or type, of our personal relationship with God.  For us there is deliverance from darkness (Egypt).  We will go the waters of baptism (the Red Sea).  The wonderful Holy Spirit will meet us (God’s supernatural sustenance and provision in the wilderness).  And even so, we may still find ourselves in a wilderness. Egypt will be behind us, and the desert will be ahead.  There are only two choices: go back or push forward.

Excuses

When God spoke to Moses to go to Pharaoh and tell him to let the people go, Moses immediately began to make excuses, explaining to God why he wasn’t the man for the job.  He had a whole list of excuses, and he started with the question: “Who am I to go?” (Exodus 3:11).  Although he saw himself as inadequate, that was a good question and became the turning point of Moses’ life.  Moses’ next question was: “Who should I say sent me?” (Exodus 3:13).  God’s response was, “I AM has sent you” (v. 14).  Unbelievably, Moses persisted: “They will not believe You have appeared to me!” (Exodus 4:1).  The miracles God then demonstrated (Exodus 4:1-9) were for the benefit of Moses, to prove to him that God was indeed with him.  After God had supernaturally shown Moses that He would take care of all the details, Moses still had one more excuse: “I am not eloquent?  I am slow of speech” (Exodus 4:10).  God took care of this final series of excuses by telling Moses, “Now therefore go, and I will be with your mouth, and teach you what you shall say” (Exodus 4:12).  Moses did go before Pharaoh, and the Israelites were freed, but not before Egypt was struck with all manner of plagues.  The miracles that God performed to sovereignly protect the people of Israel were for their own benefit, to build their faith in Him.  Once Moses and Aaron had declared all of the words God had spoken to them and had displayed all the signs He had shown them, the people then believed (Exodus 5:30-31).  The psalmist recalled that great day of deliverance from Egypt: “He brought them forth also with silver and gold [the wealth of the Egyptians] and there was not one feeble person among their tribes” (Psalm 105:37).

By Faith

It is by faith that we understand the mysteries of the Kingdom.  Hebrews 11:1 tells us, “Faith is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen.”   Faith is the established conviction that we have a settled expectation of a future reward.  It is trusting that what God has told us in His Word is true.  During our Christian walk there are times that our faith is tried or tested.  There are so many different ways for that to happen, and if we do not understand why it is easy to give up and lose sight of the end result of our faith being tried.  To remind ourselves that it is our heavenly Father teaching and guiding us through various trials, it helps if we look at faith with this perspective: Faith is Fantastic Adventures in Trusting Him.  God never tries our faith just to try it.   He tries our faith to prove His faithfulness.  As we learn from each life lesson exactly what He is teaching us our faith is strengthened to withstand whatever winds of adversity blow our way.  It is our trust in Him that will sustain us so we finally reach the things for which we hoped.

In the wilderness

Why did Moses have to experience a time of solitude in the wilderness?  He would never have been able to take the people of Israel through the wilderness if he had not first experienced it himself.  You cannot lead someone to or out of something you have not gone through yourself.  More importantly, it was in the wilderness that Moses’ mentality was changed.  He had started out with the faith to deliver a single Israelite, when God’s plan was to use him to deliver the entire nation, numbering as many as three million, including men, women and children, “in one night” (Exodus 12:37).  Be encouraged.  Our wilderness experiences will work in us the capacity to accomplish God’s plan for our lives.  He wants to do above and beyond what we could ask or even imagine.  Paul wrote: “Now unto Him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us” (Ephesians 3:20).  God’s desire is to equip us for the many challenges that await us, and He does it day by day while we are living this life He has given us.