GOD'S SOVEREIGNTY OVER TIMING. Tuesday 28/7/2026

NTRODUCTION

Do you know that God has His own time table for every event in your life? "To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven" (Ecclesiastics 3:1). Is it possible to miss God's timing for some events in your life? Israel refused to cooperate with God and they got themselves king Saul through pressure and desire to be like other nations. Had they waited for God's timing for them before they started having kings, the tragedies they faced, as a nation, due to the reign of King Saul would have been avoided. Saul himself would not have been king. God has His own timing for the coming of the Messiah. He came. But Israel, through unbelief, missed the divine timing and were blinded from recognizing their Messiah. They will remain in that state of blindness till the Second Coming of Christ. Missing God's timing is very costly in every respect. God is never late, neither is He ever early. He works according to His perfect timetable. The arrest of Jesus Christ, though pathetic, was not a triumph of evil over good, but the fulfilment of God's eternal purpose and timing. Though wicked men thought they had taken control of events, they were only carrying out what God had already permitted within His sovereign plan. Believers must therefore, trust God's timing even when circumstances appear confusing or unfavourable, knowing that nothing happens outside His knowledge and authority.

1. The Arrest of the Omnipotent by the Destroyers

Jesus questioned the chief priests, captains of the temple and elders, asking why they came against Him with swords and clubs as though He were a dangerous criminal. Ironically, they attempted to arrest the One who has all powers -the Omnipotent God. How could mortals use swords and staves to arrest the One who is Omnipotent and Omniscience except God Himself permitted it? Their conspiracy and arrest did not come to Jesus by surprise. Jesus knew it would happen and that the timing was then, but they were ignorant of this fact. Their hatred blinded them to His identity, yet they could not lay hands on Him until the appointed hour arrived. This reminds us that no enemy can frustrate God's purpose or act beyond His permission. Human opposition may seem powerful, but God's sovereign plan always prevails.

Believers do face difficult times like trials, temptations, tempests and tough times. It is not because the enemy is so powerful, but rather God allowed it and has a reason for it. 1Corinthians 10:13 shows that God moderates all those tough times to be within the limits of the power and grace of God deposited and available for the specific believers.
Like the popular song writer wrote: "He knows the bitter, weary way, The endless striving day by day, The souls that weep, the souls that pray; My Father knows, my Father knows".

2. The Allowed Operation by the Divine

Jesus declared, "This is your hour, and the power of darkness." Satan and his agents were permitted to operate, but only for a limited time. God did not lose control; He simply allowed their actions to accomplish His redemptive purpose through the cross. Every trial, persecution or apparent victory of evil has a divine limit. God's permission is never His abandonment and His sovereign purpose will ultimately bring glory to His name and victory to His children.

Both the problems and the promises of believers have God's own timing of fulfilment or manifestation. Jesus moved freely in the temple and in the Jewish streets for about three years and nobody could touch Him because it was not yet God's time for Him to be arrested. Ability to recognize God's plan and His timing is the surest path of peaceful and joyful living at all times. "For the vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the end it shall speak, and not lie: though it tarry, wait for it; because it will surely come" (Habakkuk 2:3). The same is true with the vision of the Rapture, the Second Coming of Christ etc. God is moderating all events to fit into His timing. Don't run ahead of God, ask for a revelation of His time and patiently wait for His time. "For yet a little while, and he that shall come will come, and will not tarry" (Hebrews 10:37).

3. The Afar-Off Disciple

Peter's fall and denial of Jesus did not happen overnight. It started with self confidence when he did not take the warnings of Jesus about His betrayal very seriously. This self confidence affected him that he did not draw from the river of grace when Jesus asked him to join Him in prayers at the Garden of Gethsemane. He slept off throughout. He later resorted to carnality by cutting off the ear of someone in defence of Jesus. The next phase of his backsliding was when he started following Jesus "afar off". After Jesus was arrested, Peter followed "afar off." Fear and uncertainty caused him to keep a safe distance from the Lord. Times of testing often reveal the depth of our commitment. When God's timing differs from our expectations, we may be tempted to withdraw from close fellowship with Christ. However, believers are called to remain faithful and confident that God's timing is always perfect, even when we do not fully understand His ways. When you follow Jesus afar off, your Quiet Time will be mechanical, your love for fellowship will just turn into an unpleasant routine. The end result is that you prefer moving closer with unbelievers than true, genuine and fervent believers. That was the case of Peter and eventually, he fell.

Prayer Points

1.Father, help every member of Light encounter tabernacle worldwide to trust Your perfect timing and sovereign control over every situation in our life 🙏.

2.Lord, strengthen my faith to remain steadfast when You permit trials for Your greater purpose 🙏.

3.Father, deliver me from fear and help me to follow Christ closely in every season of life 🙏.

4.Lord, visit all those members following you "afar off" and bring them to the deeper love of Jesus🙏.

1Corinthians 10:13

Today's Message