Missing God’s timing and refusing to flow and change with what God is doing and saying may cause you to lose your shine.
Lam 4:1 ‘How the gold has become dim! How changed the fine gold! The stones of the sanctuary are scattered. At the head of every street’ (NKJV)
‘How the gold has become dim! How the most pure gold is changed!’ – (AMP)
The gold lost its shine and lustre. We may lose our cutting edge, anointing and effectiveness in life and ministry when we miss the timings and changes in our life.
In the 1940’s, it is interesting to note that 80% of watches sold in the world were manufactured and made in Switzerland. This nation was known to produce watches of the best quality. There was no comparison or competition. In the late 1950’s, a new creative idea was born. Digital watches were introduced for the first time.
The leaders of Swiss watch companies were presented with this new idea but sadly digital watches were totally rejected by them. Today, 80% of watches sold in the world are digital watches. The leading Swiss watch companies lost their market share and their cutting edge. How sad!
It would be pathetic to notice someone heading for the beach, expecting a great swim – dressed only in swimming trunks with a beach towel in one hand and suntan lotion in the other – in the middle of winter with snow covering the beach. Doing the right thing at the wrong time and season can freeze you or worse, it may kill you!
Often, one of the vital missing factors in the lives of leaders and churches today is the understanding of times and seasons. Many ministries are suffering and struggling because they are operating on the wrong seasons and missing God’s timing.
The Jewish people in Jesus’ time lost their opportunity to shine and be used by God to bring salvation and redemption to the Gentile world. They rejected Jesus and missed their time of God’s visitation through the Messiah, Christ the King.
Luke 19:41- 44 ‘Now as He drew near, He saw the city and wept over it … for days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment around you, surround you and close in on every side and level you … because you did not know the time of your visitation.’
The Jewish nation and people went through great suffering BECAUSE they missed God’s Timing and God’s Visitation for their city and nation. This is one of the greatest tragedies in the history of mankind.
As Jesus wept over the city of Jerusalem, He could forecast and foresee dreams lost, potentials wasted and hopes dashed on the rock of offense. All these happened as a result of NOT discerning God’s timings and visitations!
The Bible gives us few examples of those who missed God’s timing and paid dearly for it. May we learn from their mistakes and sins so that we are spared from the judgment of God! Jonah, a well-known Sunday school story illustrates this truth beautifully.
Jonah knew God’s timing and God’s call upon his life to preach to the Ninevites. Ninevites were the hated and dreaded Assyrians — Israel’s enemies. Instead of obeying God’s command to preach in Nineveh, Jonah convinced himself that a trip to Tarshish would relieve him of the responsibility God had placed upon him.
Wrong ship, wrong place and wrong timing created an unusual storm that threatened the mariners’ lives and the ship. No amount of counselling and advice would persuade Jonah that he missed God. The best option was to throw Jonah into the deep ocean!
Through the prophetic ministry of Deborah, Barak was enlisted to raise troops to defeat Jabin king of Canaan who was oppressing the children of Israel. Only two tribes, Zebulun and Naphtali responded to the urgent call to deploy against Jabin’s army.
Judges 5: 16-18 ‘…the divisions of Reuben have great searching of heart. Gilead stayed beyond the Jordan. And why did Dan remain on ships? Asher continued at the seashore and stayed by his inlets. Zebulun is a people who jeopardized their lives to the point of death. Naphtali also, on the heights of the battlefield.’
Ruebenites were scholars and they had great debates and searching of hearts. When Deborah’s letter arrived requesting
for troops to be sent, the tribe of Rueben called for a committee meeting. After much debate and meditation, they concluded that they would not participate in this project because they did not believe in a woman’s leadership.
Gileadites stayed away and were not interested with this risky project. So they quietly and conveniently stayed away with a ‘couldn’t be bothered attitude.’
Danites were ship merchants. When Deborah’s letter arrived, the Danites were busy counting money and making plans for the next business venture. By the time they discovered the urgency of the matter, the Danites were too late to respond. They missed their small window of opportunity.
Asher continued at the seashore with a well-earned holiday. The tribe of Asher had been ‘working very hard’ so their holiday was more important to them than to see the nation set free from bondage.
All the tribes except Zebulun and Naphtali, who risked their lives, missed an opportunity to be at the cutting edge of what God was doing in the nation. God called them to be evangelists but they were contented to be tourists. Some regard their businesses more important than God’s work and their gardens more important than God’s harvest field.
Lack of Discernment
In Haggai 1: 1-15, the people of God in Haggai’s time were not concerned about the right time to build God’s house. God asked a piercing question in verse 4, “…is it time for you yourselves to dwell in your panelled houses and this temple to lie in ruins?”
God judged His people with drought and famine because they did not do what God required of them in that season of rebuilding the temple. Their personal affairs interfered with God’s timing and God’s business.
King David
2 Samuel 11: 1
“It happened in the spring of the year at the time when kings go out to battle that David sent Joab and his servants with
him and all Israel: and they destroyed the people of Ammon and besieged Rabbah. But David remained at Jerusalem.”
It was time for kings to go out to battle, but David missed God’s timing and stayed at Jerusalem. Consequently, David became restless. One wrong move led to one wrong look. David could not control his lust and ended up committing adultery with Bathsheba.
Missing the timings of God for your life can be very costly and deadly. Your guards are down and you become very vulnerable to temptation. Your resistance level becomes acutely low. The enemy moves in and strikes one strategic, deadly blow causing you reproach and shame for a lifetime.
Ask Samson. One night of pleasure was paid with a very high price – an entire life of blindness and bondage. Selling your birthright like Esau for a bowl of red bean soup to satisfy your lust is foolishness of the lowest degree. May this be the warning for us so that we will not fall into a similar predicament and trap!
In conclusion, never miss God’s timings and seasons for our lives – or we’ll be paying high prices for our low choices!