How to Accept God’s Timing in Things

God’s perfect timing is of course best, but sometimes it is hard to accept when it seems like we’ve been waiting a long time. We typically want the answer to our difficult situations or blessing right away, which doesn’t always happen in God’s time. If you are going through a challenge with no end in sight, here are some tips for helping you accept God’s timing!

1. Ask for His Help

Always ask God for help! He is a loving Heavenly Father who will help you if you ask.

Tell Him that you are struggling to accept His timing, but you are willing to try. This is one of the best and first things to do when you need help.

You can share all your feelings with God. He knows everything you are feeling and just wants to help. Sometimes the simple act of asking is all you need to be able to accept His timing.

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:6-7 

2. Shift Your Focus

While it may be hard, try to shift your focus from waiting to receive an answer or blessing to something more positive. Shifting our focus happens little by little, but it is doable.

Focus on the blessings you have received recently and in the past. You can keep a gratitude journal. These help you see the good no matter how hard the day might have been. Start by writing a few things you are thankful for each day. Soon you will start to notice that you are naturally happier. 

We often get so focused on when and how God will deliver us that we lose focus on what is truly important. Remi, in God Hears Her devotional book shared,

“Our ability to stand in the midst of trials depends on our focus. If we’re looking only for immediate deliverance, we may not endure. But if we’re looking to Jesus, He’ll help us to realize that whatever happens, we stand on who God is-not on what He does for us.”  

3. Look for the Reasons

There are always reasons why God’s timing and your timing are different. Try to come up with a list of reasons why the timing is not yet. Maybe there is a lesson to be learned from this experience. It could also be that you will need to help someone else go through the same exact experience one day.

We may never know the true reason why God’s timing is taking longer than we thought, but sometimes coming up with a reason helps our brains turn off and allows us to move forward.

4. Study His Word for Guidance and Inspiration

There is so much power that comes from reading the scriptures. We can receive strength just from studying His words daily. Try to make it a habit to read your Bible daily; that way, when hard times come, you will already have the faith and testimony to get you through.

Because there are so many stories and examples in the Bible, look for one related to your situation. What Bible story is like yours? What happens to them? Does everything turn out in the end for that person? Doing this can help you know that everything will be okay for your trial as well.

10 Bible Verses About God’s Timing

1. The Lord is good to those who wait for him, to the soul who seeks him. It is good that one should wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord. Lamentations 3:25-26 
2. Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord! Psalm 27:14 
3. Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. Proverbs 3:5-6  
4. But they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint. Isaiah 40:31
5. For everything, there is a season and a time for every matter under heaven… Ecclesiastes 3:1 
6. He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also, he has put eternity into man’s heart, yet so that he cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end. Ecclesiastes 3:11
7. For there is a time and a way for everything, although man’s trouble lies heavy on him. Ecclesiastes 8:6 
8. He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority…” Acts 1:7
9. And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up. Galatians 6:9 
10. But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years and a thousand years as one day. 2 Peter 3:8 

5. Keep a Spiritual Journal

Keep a journal where you write down all the spiritual experiences you go through. This will help you have something to look back on when you are going through a challenge.

You are a lot stronger than you think. When you record all the experiences you go through, both the good and the bad, you’ll realize you can be more patient and that you can make it through hard things.

6. Learn More About God

The more you learn about God, the more you see how loving He truly is. Time after time again, God always fulfills His promises no matter what. He is a merciful God and will always help you through your challenges.

7. Remind Yourself His Timing is Perfect

God’s timing is perfect and all according to His plan. Even if we don’t see that or fully understand it, we can still rely on His word to be true. When things seem like they are taking forever, remind yourself what you know to be true. Here are a few things to say to yourself daily:

• God’s timing is perfect
• He knows what I need better than I do
• He will help me through this challenge
• God is merciful

8. Ask Others for Help

You can always ask your friends and family for help. They might be able to see things you wouldn’t see on your own. They can also share similar experiences they have gone through and how they handled them.

9. Give it to Him

We often struggle with God’s timing when we are going through something difficult, and we just want a way out. This could be any trial or challenge. When you have tried everything and still struggle to accept His timing, give it to Him.

Surrender your will to His. This might not get you out of your scenario and might not even make things easier, but it can bring you comfort and relief.