John 7:8 NKJV
“You go up to this feast. I am not yet going up to this feast, for My time has not yet fully come.””
I was studying the book of John, chapter 7 which was after JESUS had performed the miracle of feeding five thousand people, and there was a feast going on in Judea. Jesus knew the Jewish leaders were after HIS life, so HE stayed out of Judea, even when a big festival was happening and HIS brother’s employed HIM to go, that this was the best time to even show himself.
John 7:1-3 NLT
After this, Jesus traveled around Galilee. HE wanted to stay out of Judea, where the Jewish leaders were plotting his death. But soon it was time for the Jewish Festival of Shelters, and Jesus’ brothers said to him, “Leave here and go to Judea, where your followers can see your miracles!”
HIS answer to his brothers is what prompted this blog by the leading of the PERSON OF THE SPIRIT OF THE LIVING GOD.
John 7:6-8 NLT
“Jesus replied, “Now is not the right time for me to go, but you can go anytime. The world can’t hate you, but it does hate me because I accuse it of doing evil. You go on. I’m not going to this festival, because my time has not yet come.””
It wasn’t just about HIM dying, there was a Karious moment, a right time, perfect time according to the will of the father for JESUS to die for our sins.
And, at the right time what did HE do, HE surrendered, HE didn’t run away, HE only prayed for strength to go to the cross, but JESUS surrendered not just to the will and timing of the FATHER.
John 13:1 NKJV
“Now before the Feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that His hour had come that He should depart from this world to the Father, having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the end.”
Because Jesus was completely submitted to the will of the Father, the timing of God the Father was important.
Something may be in God’s will but not yet in His timing.
Knowing the will of GOD for your life, knowing HIS promises, HIS word to you, but then again do we know the time?
My time: “In this passage the word is kairos, which characteristically means an opportunity; that is, the best time to do something, the moment when circumstances are most suitable.” (Barclay)
ii. As Jesus obeyed His Father, He lived out the truth that God’s timing is an important expression of His will.
I Timothy 2:5-6 NKJV
“For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time,”
At the right time, JESUS died for our sins, before that; they never succeeded in their plot to kill JESUS, they tried, tried but it was never successful until it was HIS time.
John 7:30 NLT
“Then the leaders tried to arrest him; but no one laid a hand on him, because his time had not yet come.”
John 8:20 NKJV
“These words Jesus spoke in the treasury, as He taught in the temple; and no one laid hands on Him, for His hour had not yet come.”
JESUS was led according to timing, it’s not just knowing GOD’s will; it’s discerning the time and season as well.
So can I know the timing of things? Can GOD actually lead me to discern apart from HIS will, the timing of things?
I will tell you my own little personal story by the grace of GOD.
I had been praying to GOD for a JOB after he had told me to move countries, praying praying and praying and trusting GOD; I also was putting in the works of sending applications, but nothing was coming forth and this was leading to frustration and more frustration.
You know what was happening when I was applying and not getting any job, I started doubting if it was GOD that sent me here indeed, if it was GOD that said and made all those promises to me; and I was spending time with GOD one day and praying, and THE PERSON OF THE SPIRIT OF THE LIVING GOD will minister to me that it wasn’t time yet, that GOD wanted me first to focus on certain things first which in this case was school, and when the time was right after my school, HE’ll make it happen. I kid you not, I stopped applying for jobs, I found rest knowing that it wasn’t GOD’s time yet for me to have a proper cooperate job. After I finished all my school work, thesis, I started again applying for JOBs and trusting GOD and I held on to HIS word that now was the time.
The testimony is this; I graduated by GOD’s grace and I really kid you not, as I collected my degree, walked off the stage to seat down, not up to 5 minutes after; I got a call from the recruiter to offer me a JOB, full time proper amazing JOB that I had interviewed for a day before my graduation ceremony. And I remembered, oh my; GOD actually said it, HE told me after school, and the ease, haste, perfection, favour, even more mercy to which I got it was really all GOD, keeping true to HIS word that at that right time; HE’ll make it happen and HE DID, GOD DID BIG!
the same thing can happen to us;
You have one thing when you know the timing of GOD; you have rest and peace; rest from toiling day and night in non-productive things, peace from still trusting that GOD will do it at the right time HE has said.
Your visions, dreams; yes it’s all GOD’s will, but it might concern a time still yet to come.
Habakkuk 2:3 NKJV
“For the vision is yet for an appointed time; But at the end it will speak, and it will not lie. Though it tarries, wait for it; Because it will surely come, It will not tarry.”
You might just in the meantime, have to keep that prophecy, seal it in truth, still hold on to it and believe it.
Daniel 12:4 NLT
“But you, Daniel, keep this prophecy a secret; seal up the book until the time of the end, when many will rush here and there, and knowledge will increase.””
So yes, we can know GOD’s timing.
The importance
Ecclesiastes 3:1 NKJV
To everything there is a season, A time for every purpose under heaven:”
RCM noted
Ecclesiastes tells us that God is a God of timing: “There is an appointed time for everything. And there is a time for every event under heaven” (Ecclesiastes 3:1). We need to understand the timings and seasons God ordains for our lives, ministries, cities and nations. Too often we try to reap during planting season, plant during harvest, run when we should be resting and rest when it is time to run. Doing even the right thing at the wrong time, well intentioned as it may be, will cause us to miss God’s perfect plan for us.
The are two different New Testament Greek words for time, chronos and kairos.
The word chronos refers to the general process of time or chronological time, the passage of time.
The word kairos refers to the right time, the set, opportune or strategic time, the now time. It doesn’t mean just the passage of time but moments within time where certain things, whatever happens will have a prolonged effect on an individual; seasons within time.
The unfolding of God’s plans and purposes in the earth.
As the processes of God’s plans unfold, chronos becomes kairos. Kairos, the opportune time, is literally born of chronos, the general time.
Kairos, opportune time doesn’t come all the time, but we see it appear multiple times in the Bible; Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 states that for everything, there is a right time, and all things on earth will happen at the right time.
We also see in the Bible, different examples of GOD not just revealing HIS plan to men but also revealing the timing and working according to the set time of the given prophecy as well.
In Genesis 15:13, the Lord tells Abraham, “Know for certain that your offspring will be sojourners in a land that is not theirs and will be servants there, and they will be afflicted for four hundred years.” Jeremiah 25:11; GOD tells the prophet Jeremiah that the nation of Israel was going to go through a time of oppression. They would spend 70 years in captivity.
I’m Judges 6: 6-17, the Israelites faced oppression from the Midianites because of their rebellion. Because of that, God handed them over to their enemies for 7 years. So for 7 years, they lived in this uncomfortable state. The Israelites cried out to God for help. However. It was not until the 7 years were over that God answered their cries and sent Gideon to rescue them. God knew what they were going through, but He did not relent until the end of the 7 year period.
So apart from the will of GOD, we need to discern and know the timing of things.
Why?
To find rest for our soul, not toil unfruitfully
To redeem the time, not doing the right things at the wrong time.
And you know an expo, the conclusion of it; GOD’s time is the right time always and forever
Isaiah 60:22 NKJV
“A little one shall become a thousand, And a small one a strong nation. I, the Lord, will hasten it in its time.””
And even as Ecclesiastes 3:11 says “God has made everything beautiful for its own time..”
So what do I do?
You align yourself to GOD’s timing.
What should I do to understand GOD’s timing?
Like Daniel did, humble ourselves before the mighty hand of GOD and pray for understanding .
Daniel 10:12 NLT
“Then he said, “Don’t be afraid, Daniel. Since the first day you began to pray for understanding and to humble yourself before your God, your request has been heard in heaven. I have come in answer to your prayer.”
Daniel 10:14 NLT
“Now I am here to explain what will happen to your people in the future, for this vision concerns a time yet to come.””
Luke 19:42 recorded one of the two times JESUS wept, because Jerusalem knew not the time of ther visitation hence bad things were going to befall them.
Jesus wept over Jerusalem, saying, “You did not recognize the time of your visitation” (Luke 19:44). They missed the train. A group of Israelites decided to try and possess the land of Canaan the day after God told them the opportunity had passed. They were routed by the Canaanites (see Numbers l4:39-45). The train had already departed.
We need discernment to discern seasons and time. And we need the SPIRIT OF THE LIVING GOD to help us, and we need to walk in the Spirit:
Romans 8:14 NLT
“For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God.”
I Chronicles 12:32 NKJV
“of the sons of Issachar who had understanding of the times, to know what Israel ought to do, their chiefs were two hundred; and all their brethren were at their command;”
The word of GOD is the primary instrument of discernment
Study the nature of GOD’s Spirit with you, and it can help you to discern time and seasons.
As we end; You prepare for Karious moments by maximising your chronos. And that’s what you do in your waiting time; you prepare, in prayer, in study of the BIBLE, in spending time with GOD; in you trusting GOD.
Prayer
LORD JESUS, we thank YOU that YOUR word is always yea and amen in our lives🙏 we ask for grace to always discern YOUR leading and guidance LORD, always; We ask that YOU lead us and even as YOU lead us LORD; we ask for grace to follow you and obey you promptly and always🙏
We ask for mercy and restoration in ways we have missed it LORD, those karious moments where we weren’t sensitive enough to discern or obey the promptings and leadings, LORD we ask for your mercy and restoration.
And FATHER; give us the grace to wait diligently not to do the right things at wrong time, or wrong things at the right time LORD.
To be forever led by YOU LORD, help us to walk in THE SPIRIT always🙏
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