Divine Appointments

UV 1301/10,000 Divine Appointments
And the LORD appointed a set time, saying, To morrow the LORD shall do this thing in the land.
Exodus 9 v 5

Sometimes try as we might we are not able to do or accomplish certain goals. We puff and struggle with all our might and yet nothing seems to happen. But at the Lord’s appointed hour it happens with great ease. The reason is that the Lord has set a time for everything- for sowing and reaping, a time for every purpose , a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to harvest, a time to kill, a time to heal, a time to build and a time to break down, a time to weep, a time to laugh, a time to mourn, a time to dance, a time to cast away, a time to gather, a time to embrace and a time to refrain, a time to rend clothes, a time to stitch, a time to be silent, a time to speak, a time to get, a time to lose, a time to keep, a time of love, a time to hate, a time of war, a time of peace. Nothing is a waste or a mistake in God’s scheme of things. Nothing too impossible, nothing too difficult, nothing too painful, nothing too unbearable. He will give grace for every situation we face in life, both the terrible and the terrific.

As scripture says, “ Many are the plans in a man’s heart but it is the Lord’s will that prevails. Therefore, when we make great or small plans, we should not say that we will do this or that tomorrow, or that we will go here or stay here or there. We should say that if it is the Lord’s will it shall be. We need to acknowledge Him at every stage of our planning a thing and wait for His time to start, to do , to stop and to finish. We need to wait for Him to act at every turn and pause even as we are diligent in doing that which lies upon us. We need to look for the signs and messages of His will and purpose. All our human plans and time management techniques will go out of the window. He sets times not just for individuals like us but for nations and the whole world and universe. Just take a look at the elaborate clockwork precision with which the heavenly bodies rotate and revolve on its axis as well as around others. When we go through times of sorrow, look back at times of joy, when we go through times of pain, look back at times of pleasure, when we go through times of loss, look back at times of gain, when we go through times of sowing, look forward to times of harvesting.

As Peter Drucker, the so- called father of modern management, a man who acknowledged Christ as His only Saviour said, “ The only thing we know about the future is that it will be different.” But nothing is hidden from the Lord. He is the true father not just of wisdom and management but of lights. Nothing is hidden from His eyes. The implication is that in all things, whether it be the success of our missions, the goals of our profession, the marriage of our children, the birth of children, the prosperity of our finances, the growth of our investments, the fulfillment of our plans, we should wait consciously, with expectation and gratitude for the appointed hour of the Lord when He will bring it to fruition. The Lord has set times and He will surely keep His appointments. He is never early or late. He is on time every time but it may not be according to our earthly calendar or clock or our personal time table. He may come up with certain surprises and shocks to rock us out of our complacency. But He will never disappoint the faithful.

Prateep V Philip