When, God, When? Learning To Trust In God's Timing
by Joyce Meyer
Harrison House Tulsa, Oklahoma
When, God, When? Learning To Trust In God's Timing
by Joyce Meyer
Harrison House Tulsa, Oklahoma
Unle Unless ss ot othe herw rwis isee in indic dicate ated, d, al alll Scri Script ptur uree quot quotati ations ons are are taken from the King James Version of the Bible. Scri cripture quo quotation onss marked AMP are taken from The cop pyrig right © 19 19! !,, 19 19"# "# by Amplified Bible, Old Testament co $onde $on der%a r%an n &orpor &orporati ation. on. New New Test Testam amen entt copyright © 19!", 19"# by the 'ockman (oundation. Used by )ermission.
3rd Printing Over 66, in Print
!hen, "od, !hen# learning To Tr$st in "od%s Timing *SB+ -"9#/-"/-0 -"9#/-"/-0 &opyright © 199/ by oyce 2eyer 'ife *n 3he 4ord, *nc. ). 5. Bo6 !! (enton, 2issouri 7 )ublished by 8arrison 8ouse, *nc. ). 5. Bo6 7!7! 3ulsa, 5klahoma #/1!7 )rinted in the United States of merica. ll ll righ rights ts reser eser%e %ed d unde nder *nte *ntern rnat atio iona nall &o &opy pyri righ ghtt 'aw. 'aw. &ontents and:or co%er may not be reproduced in whole or in part in any form without the e6pressed written consent of the )ublisher.
Contents Foreword....................................................................5 Foreword ....................................................................5 1 Timing and Trust....................................................7 Trust....................................................7 2 Due Season. Season...........................................................11 3 Aointed Time....................................................17 Time....................................................17 ! The Call................................................................1" Call................................................................1" 5 The Anointing. Anointing.......................................................23 # The Searation..... Searation.......... .......... .......... .......... ............................... ............................31 ..31 7 Are $ou Tired o% &aiting'..................................35 &aiting'..................................35 ( )atien*e, )lease+...................................................!1 )lease+...................................................!1 " &hen &ill - Dream Come True'.....................!5 True' .....................!5 /erien*ing a 0ew i%e..........................................!7 i%e..........................................!7 Aout the Author ......................................................!" ......................................................!"
Foreword 4e ser%e the ll-;nowing
a%id, ?your times are in 8is %ery capable hands? @)s. 71A1!, paraphrased.
1
1 Timing and Trust
"I trusted, relied on and was confident in You, O Lord; I said, You are my God. "My times are in Your hand; delier me from the hand of my foes and those who !ursue me and !ersecute me." salm #$%$&,$
*n this chapter, the )salmist is saying that he trusted
+ !hen, "od, !hen#
not seen.? 4e can always ha%e faith now, but we cannot always ha%e the manifestation now3rusting
Timing and Tr$st /
ne%er grow and de%elop. 3iming and trust are twins. 3hey work side by side.
2
2 Due Season
'e%iticus A/ says, ?* will gi%e you rain in d$e season-&
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nowD m * not ready yetD? 8e responded by saying, ?Iou are, but some of the others who will be in%ol%ed with you are not yet ready, and * am still working some things out in them, so you will ha%e to wait on them now.? Iou see,
2$e eason 03
happen o%ernight. 8owe%er, a%e got me quickly, but his was not a demanding prayer. 8e asked a%e has always said he knew * was the right one the first night we went out, but he waited to ask me to marry him because he did not want to frighten me. 8e arri%ed at the conclusion, after only three weeks of marriage, that * had quite a few problems and was in need of much help. >a%e recei%ed the answer to his prayer quickly, but he also had to endure a lot of hard times while * was growing up in a%e was mature enough to handle the rough years with meJ therefore, 8e answered >a%eCs prayer quickly. 8e was strong enough to help someone who had many problems. >a%e was willing to be used by
04 !hen, "od, !hen#
he had prayed for someone more perfected, * belie%e a%e had requested. 3he point * am trying to make is that when we are waiting on
2$e eason 05
we are ready, not when we thin we are ready. 3oo many blessings too soon can make a person haughty, thus the Bible instructs us not to place a no%ice or a new con%ert in leadership. 3hey are not mature enough, and it would cause them to be lifted up in pride. @1 3im. 7A. 3here is a timing for all things in our li%es, and there is safet( in being in
3
3 Appointed Time
esus told the disciples in cts 1A-", when they asked 8im questions concerning the end times, that it was not for them to know what time would bring and the seasons which the (ather had appointed by 8is own choice and personal power. Iou see, the disciples still thought esus would set up an earthly kingdom. 3hey asked when 8e would re-establish the kingdom and restore it to *srael. esus had been unable to get them to understand that 8e was going to establish a spiritual kingdom and that 8is kingdom would be within them. 3he Bible warns us that knowledge without wisdom is dangerous. *t would ha%e been disastrous for esus to tell the disciples when 8e would establish the kingdom since they did not e%en understand what it was. 2any times we want information on when, and
0+ !hen, "od, !hen#
or disappoint. 3hough it tarry, wait FearnestlyG for it, because it will surely comeJ it will not be behindhand on its appointed day.? *t will not be late one single day.
Appointed time simply means when
4
4 The Call
3he timing in%ol%ed when
1 !hen, "od, !hen#
place and teach my 4ord, and you are going to ha%e a large teaching tape ministry.? L%en though it was not an audible %oice, it sounded quite loud and clear inside me. nd from that moment on, * ?Hust knew? that was my destiny, and * had a tremendous, often o%erwhelming desire to teach the 4ord. * ne%er knew before that day that * was called to preach and teach a%e and * had been married for se%eral years, * was growing closer to the 'ord but still struggling with tremendous problems in my life because of my abusi%e past. 4e had three children by this time, and * remember coming home from church and lying in bed on Sunday e%enings after the kids
The 9all 10
were asleep. 3he house was peaceful, quiet and dark, and * would re-preach the pastorCs sermons=only it was me at the pulpit and not the pastor. * ne%er had any idea why * did that, but now * know. Iour call may come gradually or suddenly, but from the time you are called, (o$ are in preparation-
5
5 The Anointing
>uring the preparation time, the anointing is being released in perfectly timed capsules. 3he anointing is the 8oly Spirit enabling us to do what
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with the thought of bowing down to their younger brother, so they sold him. +ow, oseph did not mean any harm. 8e was a sweet boy, but he ob%iously did not use wisdom by telling them what he had seen in his dreams.
The Anointing 15
presumptuous, impetuous and full of unwise Keal. *n short, 7 was f$ll of m(self- * might add, e%erybody is until they go through the preparation process themsel%es. Should you happen to be thinking, ?+ot me=* donCt ha%e these problems,? * would suggest that you are in for a rude awakening about yourselfE nd until you ?humble? yourself ?under the mighty hand of
(ome )i*le +tudies *n one of the first stages, uring the first two and one-half years, * taught once a week. 3he meeting grew so large that * started teaching two meetings= one in the morning and the second in the e%ening. L%en though >a%e and * were e6periencing se%ere
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financial stress at that time, * recei%ed nothing financially for those meetings. 3he people we were teaching, about twenty-fi%e at each meeting, resisted any idea of an offering being recei%ed for us e%en though we had some ob%ious needs. *t was hard for me, but it purified my moti%es for teaching. * kept doing it, so * clearly was not doing it for money. lthough it was difficult at times not to be resentful toward the people, * e%entually learned that things were happening this way because
The Amplified Bible%s translation of Second 3imothy A1! e6pounds a little on the responsibility we ha%e for the call, ?Study and be eager and do your utmost to present yourself to
The Anointing 1=
ashamed, correctly analyKing and accurately di%iding Frightly handling and skillfully teachingG the 4ord of 3ruth.? >uring those years of teaching in a li%ing room to twenty-fi%e people,
ut On a +helf 3hen, * had one whole year in which * did absolutely nothing in ministry.
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missed
The e-t ie Years 3oward the end of this year of waiting, >a%e and * began attending a new church. *t was Hust starting in the St. 'ouis area. *t was small, about thirty people, but we had a %ery strong witness in our hearts that
The Anointing 1/
my ministry, and it was "od%s timings 8e blessed, it grew. t its peak, we enHoyed an attendance of four hundred ladies each week. L%entually * worked full-time at the church and became an ssociate )astor there. * was ordained through 'ife &hristian &enter and taught Bible college there. 3he church then sponsored my first radio program which aired in St. 'ouis. * learned many important lessons during my fi%e years there. 5ne thing * learned was how to submit to authority. person is not fit to be in authority until they ha%e e6perienced coming under authority. Memember, submission is not Hust an action, it is an attitude. Iou may decide to do what you are told, but a submissi%e attitude must be birthed in you, especially if you are strong-willed like * was. 5%er a period of time * learned to work with a group of people and to function in %arious types of ministry. * also learned a lot more about waiting. 3here were many things
3 !hen, "od, !hen#
&hristian &enter, Mick and >onna Shelton, and >a%e and * became, and still are, the best of friends. 4e all grew together. * ha%e learned that when people grow together, if they do not gi%e up on each other, they are usually meshed together in a deep relationship that will endure for all time. Iou might say that while the mess is being mashed out of you, you are being meshed together. 4hen 'ife &hristian &enter had grown to a congregation of about 1,, the staff was preparing to mo%e into their brand new, beautiful building. L%erything was e6ploding with %ictory and e6citement when
6
6 The Separation
"Life In The /ord" )egins Memember when
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his way, but the 'ord directs his steps.? * had a plan. * thought it was
The eparation 33
gi%en you fulfilled. *f 8e has placed a certain call on your life, 8e will fulfill it in 8is timing. &ooperate each step of the way and remember that the call, the anointing and the separation to the call can occur o%er a span of many years. Be faithf$l in all the little things)o$r times are in :is hands-
7
7 Are ou Tired o! "aiting#
*f you ha%e been waiting a long time and ha%e not seen much progress, you are probably getting %ery tired of waiting. * want to encourage you to take a fresh attitude toward waiting. 3he Bible, in 2ark /A-#, says that we are to be patient like the farmer who puts his seed in the ground and then waits for the early and latter rain. 3he 4ord goes on to say that while he waits for the seed to sprout, he rises up and goes to bed, and e%entually it comes up. nd he, the farmer, knows not how. uring those ten years, * belie%e * missed a lot of Hoy trying to gi%e birth outside of
36 !hen, "od, !hen#
rather ridiculous. 4hat if she tried so hard to get the new baby to come that she failed to take proper care of the fi%e she already hadD 4e can readily see the foolishness of this scenario. 8owe%er, in reality, people often do the same thing with other situations.
>n8o( where (o$ are while (o$ are waiting to get to where (o$ want to be* 4hen the Bible says the farmer rises up and goes to bed, * belie%e it means he li%es his ordinary, e%eryday life while he is waiting for his en%isioned garden to sprout. 5ne day a pastor picked us up at a crowded airport. *t was e6tremely busy. 3he escalators had lines, and the restaurants had lines. *t seemed as if e%erywhere we turned we were waiting. * could see that the pastor was getting a bit frustrated with the whole thing. Suddenly he turned to me and said, ?* guess you can see that * donCt wait well.? nytime we ha%enCt learned to wait well the results are ob%ious, not only in the way we beha%e emotionally but also in our physical bodies. 4aiting is a large part of life, and if waiting always brings frustration, it creates stress that e%entually takes a toll on the physical body and can cause sickness. 3his particular pastor who did not ?wait well? was %ery sick at the time with physical weakness that his doctor said had been produced by years of stress.
Are )o$ Tired of !aiting# 3=
Tae a new attit$de toward waiting, and it will not have to be so diffi<$lt for (o$*n all truth, we spend more time waiting in our li%es than we do recei%ing. fter we recei%e what we are waiting for, we will begin waiting for something else. *f you can see what * mean, you will be able to quickly realiKe that waiting is a ma8or part of life'etCs say you get a raise and then wait for the ne6t one. Iou wait for a child, then you wait for them to get out of diapers into pants and soon you are waiting for them to be able to buy their own pantsE Iou wait to buy a house, then wait to buy furniture for your house that you are no longer waiting for. 3hen you wait to be able to afford a cleaning lady to help you clean your house and the furniture that you waited for. >o you get my meaningD 'earn to enHoy waiting, realiKing that waiting is what will deli%er your dream. * really should say ?waiting well? is what will deli%er your dream. 3he fulfillment, of course, comes from
3+ !hen, "od, !hen#
*mpatient people often do not hang around long enough to see the finish of really great things because great things take so much time to mature. 2y husband, >a%e, always says, &?ast and fragile. slow and solid-& *f it is thrown together quickly to suit the impatient and those who do not wait well, it is not likely to be lasting. 8owe%er, if people are willing to wait on
Are )o$ Tired of !aiting# 3/
now behind the scenes.
$
$ %atien&e' %lease(
3he Bible says in 8ebrews A1 that we inherit the promises through faith and patience. +ow inheritance does not require any effort on our part. *t only requires waiting until the appointed time. (or e6ample, you may belie%e, or ha%e faith, that a relati%e has willed you an inheritance, but you must ha%e patience and wait for the proper time to recei%e it. (aith and patience are partners. 3hey work together to bring the desired result. ames 1A,7 (AMP says that we are to be Hoyful when we ?encounter trials of any sort? knowing that ?the pro%ing of your faith? brings out patience. nd when patience has had her perfect work, we will be a people ?perfectly and fully de%eloped ... lacking in nothing.? 4owE 4hat a ScriptureE 3he ;positor( 2i
41 !hen, "od, !hen#
we are waitingD 4hen we ha%e trials, we grow, or at least we can grow, if we ?let patience ha%e her perfect work.? @ames 1:4.) Mesistance, bitterness, and running away from e%ery hard place does not produce patience. ames 1:4 (AMP) says that we can be perfectly de%eloped and lacking in @or ?wanting nothing? KJV) once patience has done a thorough work. 3his is simple to see. *f a person is totally patient, he or she can be peaceful and Hoyful in any situation. * am certainly not perfect in patience, but * ha%e grown a lot. 3here was a time when * was e6tremely impatient, and * did not wait well. * finally realiKed that
Patien
stalled car on the highway, not understanding what is happening in your life or needing answers that seem slow in coming. ll of these things help us in the end, e%en though they are hard when we are going through them. *f we can see this, it will gi%e us a new appreciation for patience. 8ebrews 1A1 (AMP encourages us saying, ?'et us run with patient endurance and steady and acti%e persistence the appointed course of the race that is set before us.? L%ery race has a finish line. Iou will cross the finish line, but 8ebrews tells us how to run the race.
)e atient /ith Yourself llow me to encourage you to begin building a foundation for a patient lifestyle by being patient with yourself. 4hen you make mistakes, recei%e mercy from
44 !hen, "od, !hen#
it away freely to yourself and others. Iou will find the benefits delightful. 'uke "A1! (AMP) says, ?steadily bring forth fruit with patience.?
)
) "hen "ill *+ Dream Come True#
Iour dream is in the process right nowE *t is on the sto%e cooking. Iou ha%e heard the phrase, ?3he watched pot ne%er boils.? * really encourage you to simply get the most out of e%ery day. >o your part, but do not try to do
Believe it, and enter "od%s rest*
,-perien&ing a .ew /i!e *f you ha%e ne%er in%ited esus to be your 'ord and Sa%ior, * in%ite you to do so now. Iou can pray this prayer, and if you are really sincere about it, you will e6perience a new life in &hrist.
?ather "od, 7 believe Jes$s 9hrist is )o$r on, the avior of the world- 7 believe :e died on the
4+ !hen, "od, !hen#
Beloved, John +30, 31 AMP C sa(s, &7f (o$ abide in '( !ord--- (o$ are tr$l( '( dis
A0out the Author 0oyce Meyer has been teaching the 4ord of
oyceCs ?'ife *n 3he 4ord? radio broadcast is heard on o%er ! stations worldwide. 8er thirtyminute ?'ife *n 3he 4ord 4ith oyce 2eyer? tele%ision program was released in 1997 and is broadcast throughout the United States and &anada. 8er teaching tapes are enHoyed internationally. oyce also tra%els e6tensi%ely conducting ?'ife *n 3he 4ord? conferences, as well as speaking in local churches. oyce and her husband, >a%e 2eyer, Business dministrator at ?'ife *n 3he 4ord?, ha%e been married for almost thirty years and are the parents of four children. 3hree are married, and their youngest son resides with them in (enton, 2issouri, a St. 'ouis suburb. oyce belie%es the call on her life is to establish
5 !hen, "od, !hen#
belie%ers in
Abo$t the A$thor 50
4rite to oyce 2eyerCs office for a Mesource &atalog and further information on how to obtain the tapes you need to bring total healing to your life.
To *onta*t the author, write 4o-*e e-er i%e n The &ord, n*. ). O. 6o/ #55 Fenton, issouri #32# or *all 831!9 3!":33 n Canada, lease write 4o-*e e-er inistries Canada, n*. ). O. 6o/ 2""5 ondon, Ontario 0#A !;"
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