July 9 – Beautiful Timing (Romans 8:18)

“He has made everything beautiful in its time.”
(Ecclesiastes 3:11)

IN WORD:
Some flowers will bloom within days of their planting. Others will not bloom for years, and then only for a short time. What is the difference? Only the God who has ordained the beauty of His creation to be made manifest in different ways and at different times.
You probably know people who bloomed as soon as they were planted. Perhaps you are one of them. Many of us, however, find the early bloomers frustrating. They remind us of what we would like God to accomplish in our lives. We grow impatient with the seasons of God, wondering if He will ever bring us into our own personal promised land, as we once hoped He would. We forget the valuable lesson of this planet’s diverse flora. Growth, maturation, and fruition vary widely among species. And in God’s mind, every Christian is a distinct species. We are all different.
We are all one in Christ, of course. But nowhere in Scripture do we find a God who deals uniformly with His people. There are people who never seem to suffer, and people who seem to suffer incessantly. There are people who bear fruit nearly their whole lives, and those who bear fruit only for a moment. There are people who live for decades and people who live for brief minutes. And God has His hand on all of them.

IN DEED:
Are you a people watcher, frustrated with how bountifully God has dealt with other Christians and wondering if He will ever do the same with you? There are many possible reasons for the delay, ranging from sin in your life to the special nature of the gifts he has given you. But consider the God who makes all things beautiful. He is crafting a global testimony to His glory (Habakkuk 2:14). Why would He leave you out?
Consider the promise of Romans 8:18: Current sufferings do not compare to future glory. The set your heart on the future glory. Know that in His time, God will make all things — even your life — extremely beautiful.

“God’s fingers can touch nothing but to mold it into loveliness.”
-George MacDonald-