I had an interesting illustration today of how important it is to know the timing of God in your life. The illustration came in two pieces. Before I get to that, let me lay a little foundation.
The verse quoted above is in the middle of a passage recounting the military might of David's army as he was made king of all of Israel at Hebron. This portion of that list is introduced in 1 Chronicles 12:23 with the statement,
"Now these were the numbers of the divisions that were equipped for war, and came to David at Hebron to turn over the kingdom of Saul to him, according to the word of the LORD." (emphasis added)In this list that speaks of the "mighty men of valor" who were "armed for war" and "expert in war with all weapons of war," it notes of the sons of Issachar that they "had understanding of the times, to know what Israel ought to do."
There is a message here, almost taken for granted by the writer, that is easy for us to miss. One of the critical skills needed for military success was to understand the times and know what to do. This ability was listed as the critical ingredient that the men of this particular tribe brought to the David's army.
Whether we are talking about effective advancement of the Kingdom of God on a corporate level or a personal one, it is critical that we understand the times and know what to do -- and when, exactly, to do it. This leads me to the "simple truths" I saw illustrated today.
don't lag behind ...
The first illustration came in a conversation as I was finishing lunch today. A young man who is involved in ministry began sharing about his personal vision for expansion of that ministry to the community. In talking about that, he shared how he was doing some things to better prepare and credential himself so there was be no question of credibility in what he and this ministry were doing. To this point, it had been simply a good exchange allowing the other couple involved in the conversation to understand this goals and vision of this ministry.
As he was speaking of how long the credentialing process would take, since it was being accomplished around his ministry, family, and other obligations, I heard the Holy Spirit say that he could not afford to take that long to complete it. I began to share with him the word of the Lord for his life about this situation sitting there across the table in the restaurant. The word was very clear that instead of the four years that he was planning to complete this process, he needed to have it completed in two. If not, there would be an opportunity that would pass him by because he was not yet prepared. He needed to take a step back and see what he needed to adjust to focus on completing this process.
nor run ahead ...
Later in the day, I encountered the counterpoint illustration. In this case, it was a statement made in the morning's message by an apostle to whom I relate, George Bakalov. While we are not in the same geographical location, his Sunday morning message is webcast and I can download it later (either from his website or from iTunes) and listen.
I do not know that Ap. Bakalov could ever be accused of lagging behind. Perhaps so, somewhere in his life, but not in what I have known of him. When God gives him a new idea, he's immediately pursuing how to implement it. But, as I learned from Bishop Bill Hamon, "a strength left unguarded can become a double weakness." (I'll leave the discussion of that truth for another day.) To his credit, Ap. Bakalov is trying "to keep his guard up."
He made a comment during this morning's message about needing to understand God's time and seasons. He said,
"God has been just challenging me here in the last couple of days ... saying, 'Wait a second. You've got so many things that you want to do, but how about My timing? How about My seasons? ... Do you have faith enough to allow Me to do things in the right time and in the right season?'"the lesson ...
To the one, God was saying, essentially, "get it in gear and get moving." To the other He was saying, "wait a second, how about slowing down to wait for Me?" The same principle applies to both. We need to develop the skill of the sons if Issachar so that we understand the times and know what to do -- and when, exactly, to do it.
I was pondering this afternoon after the lunchtime conversation about how many times we miss an opportunity by not being in the right place at the right time. Part of that includes preparation. If we are there, but are not prepared, we resemble the 10 foolish virgins. The consequences may not be as severe, but we do miss an opportunity to "enter in" to whatever the opportunity would have been. We may not ever realize we have missed something, because our lack of preparation kept us from even being considered for it. Other times, we do know about what "could have been" and have to deal with the disappointment. How much do these missed opportunities affect how completely we fulfill our destiny? In all sincerity, only God knows.
On the other side, how many times do we miss the opportunity that would have propelled us into what God wanted us to do because we were too busy doing "good," even "Godly," things? Are we too busy working for God to stop and take time to hear what He has to say? Perhaps we need to slow down a little and wait for Him to set the stage for us. Then, that which we have been striving diligently to accomplish may become as David said of the defeat of the Philistines at Baal Perazim, “The LORD has broken through my enemies before me, like a breakthrough of water.” 2 Samuel 5:20 When we move in God's timing, the results are always MUCH better.
Let us purpose to not only seek God for His direction in what He wants us to do, but also ask Him where He wants it done, how He wants it done and when He wants it done. Then, and only then, can we be assured of being in the right place at the right time doing the right thing.
