Timing Isn’t Everything, But It’s Important

The adage informs us that “timing is everything.” I’m sure there’s quite a bit of truth to that, but sometimes it gets a bit confusing.

 

For instance, we’ve probably all experienced being in the right place at the right time. I remember applying for a job once just as the previous editor of the newspaper had resigned. My timing couldn’t have been better. It turned out to be a great job for me, a giant step along my career path.

 

However, we also hear about people being at the right place at the wrong time. Does that mean arriving at the right airport gate, but five minutes after the plane had begun to taxi down the runway? Or applying for a job right after it's been filled?

 

We often hear about people being at the wrong place at the wrong time. Tragic crimes that happen outside a bar at 2:30 in the morning come immediately to mind. Wrong place – and definitely the wrong time. But what about being at the wrong place at the right time? Is there ever a right time to be at the wrong place? 

 

I’ve been pondering the whole timing is everything thing. Especially concerning our relationship with God. Take, for example, the account of Jesus; His friend Lazarus, who was gravely ill; and his sisters, Mary and Martha. In John 11 it says, “the sisters sent word to Jesus, ‘Lord, the one you love is sick.’” By this time, Jesus’ healing powers were well-known, so the sisters obviously were begging for help.

Did Jesus tell His followers, “Drop everything, guys, Lazarus is really sick. We need to go assist him immediately”? Nope. Instead, Jesus responded, “This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God’s glory so that God’s Son may be glorified through it.” Then, even though He fully understood the sisters’ distress and their urgent plea, the passage says, “He stayed where He was two more days.” 

 

Wow! The first time I read this passage, it made me think of the sarcastic EMT who quipped, “When seconds count, we’re only minutes away!” But Jesus knew what He was doing. He wasn’t uncaring, nor was He indifferent. He had a plan.

 

After the two days He announced, “Let us go back to Judea…. Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but I am going there to wake him up.” His disciples, often a clueless bunch, shrugged their shoulders. “‘Lord, if he sleeps, he will get better.’” So Jesus clarified the situation:“Lazarus is dead, and for your sake I am glad I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him.” 

 

If you’re familiar with the “rest of the story,” Jesus arrived after Lazarus had already been in his tomb for four days. The two sisters separately ran to greet him, but both declared, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” He went to the tomb and, observing the grief of the sisters and Lazarus’s other family members and friends, did what’s described by the Bible’s shortest verse: “Jesus wept.”

 

However, His tears were not in mourning for his deceased friend; they reflected the empathy He felt for those who grieved, and also for the pain of a world ravaged by sin. Because Jesus’ next step was to raise Lazarus from the dead, stating why He had waited to respond: “…that they may believe that [God the Father] sent Me.”

 

Even though this story happened 2,000 years ago, there’s much we can learn from it for today. It’s not just about Jesus’ miraculous powers, although that’s significant enough. It also dramatically demonstrates why God’s timing frequently isn’t the same as ours.

 

We pray for the healing of a diseased loved one, implying, “and right now, please.” Or we pray to find a job – or a new one – and wonder why the Lord seems so slow in answering. We pray about a difficult marriage, broken relationships, or financial struggles, and fret because God doesn’t seem to be paying attention.

 

If the Lord were to explain to us at those moments – and He’s under no obligation to explain anything He does – He might indeed say, “Timing is everything.” He may be ordering circumstances to provide us with an answer that surpasses what we were asking for, because He is “able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us” (Ephesians 3:20).

 

God also might be timing His response so that when it comes, there can be no doubt that He is the source of the solution. In the passage about Jesus and Lazarus, the Lord told Mary, Martha and His other followers, “Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?” (John 11:40).

 

We were created to love the Lord, to trust Him, and as an opening statement from the old Westminster Confession says, “Man’s chief end is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever.” Since this doesn’t come to us naturally, sometimes the best way He can teach this to us is through His divine and perfect timing. Even Jesus’ death, burial and resurrection took place “at just the right time” (Romans 5:6).

 

So as we consider whether “timing is everything,” we can trust that the God who knows everything also knows the right timing. 

Is It Wrong for God to Desire Glory?

What does it feel like when you perform a special act of kindness for someone and they show appreciation for what you’ve done? You didn’t do it for the gratitude, but isn’t it nice to receive it? On the other hand, how do you feel when some form of benevolence that you have done isn’t acknowledged, not even a casual “thanks”?

 

Or consider this: If you’re at all creative or into craftsmanship, how does it make you feel to capture an unusually captivating photo; or take an art class and create a painting better than you imagined you could; or lovingly sew a beautiful quilt for a shut-in, or craft a special piece of furniture out of wood? When one of our children comes home with a picture they did at school, don't they delight when we praise them for it - even if it's not "perfect"?

 

Whenever most of us do such things, we surge with a sense of pride and satisfaction. We enjoy being part of a job well-done, whether working on our own or as part of a team. I’ve felt gratification each time when, after months, even years of writing and editing a book, it finally becomes a finished, published product. (It’s probably the closest I’ll ever get to being pregnant and giving birth.)

 

This response, as I understand the Scriptures, is as it should be. It tells us we’re “God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do” (Ephesians 2:10). That’s one of the primary reasons He put us here. Shouldn’t we experience a level of satisfaction as we’re doing them?

 

So, is it any surprise that the Bible declares that the Lord delights in the praises of His people, that He loves receiving our expressions of gratitude and thanksgiving for all He does for us?

 

Over and over, the Word of God states how important it is to praise Him and offer thanks. Psalm 8 starts with the declaration, “O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth. You have set your glory above the heavens. From the lips of children and infants you have ordained praise" (Psalm 8:1-2). 

 

Then, after briefly describing the wonders of His creation and the special place He has made for all of humankind, the psalm closes with the same words: “O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth” (Psalm 8:9).

 

In the very next psalm, the writer – King David – picks up where he left off: “I will praise you, O Lord, with all my heart; I will tell of all your wonders. I will be glad and rejoice in you; I will sing praise to your name, O Most High” (Psalm 9:1-2).

 

I love the opening verse of Psalm 19, which announces, “The heavens declare the glory of God, the skies proclaim the work of his hands.” Nature, it seems, was created with the capacity for glorifying and praising its Creator. Have you ever thought of the chirp of a bird, the buzz of a bee, the rustle of leaves and the twinkling of stars light years away as forms of praise emanating from the universe?

 

We could look at countless other examples, not just in the Psalms but in virtually every book of the Bible. What brings this to mind is a comment an agnostic friend of mine made years ago, one that to this day causes me to shake my head whenever I recall it. He said something to the effect that, “If there is a God, He must be some kind of super-egotist to expect people to always give Him praise and honor.”

 

Really? Seriously? As noted above, we find it nice to have appreciation shown for our kind gestures. It’s not required, but we enjoy having our efforts recognized – or at least being able to see the positive impact of what we’ve done. And we justifiably take pleasure in our own accomplishments, regardless of the areas of endeavor. 

 

Why then would it be wrong for the God of all creation, who fashioned everything we see and touch and hear, taste and smell and work with, including the physical laws that govern them, to seek honor and glory and praise and thankfulness from us? 

 

It’s not only a good thing to do, but out of love and adoration and worship for the Lord, it’s pretty much expected. Perhaps this is why the apostle Paul offered this exhortation: “So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God” (1 Corinthians 10:31).