Have you ever noticed that most of the things we create revolve around timing? In the stories we tell, the greatest tensions and resolutions rely on things being timed “just so.” Imagine how many beloved tales would be ruined if someone hadn’t showed up in the nick of time!

Our plans and decisions are largely based on how things are timed, too. So many of our most special experiences matter to us because of when they occur. We even examine our lives in stages that are based on some timeline or another.

So, time matters to us. A lot. Just ask anyone who is waiting for an answer or an opportunity. Or, talk to someone marking an anniversary or counting down the days until a loved one deploys.

Ecclesiastes 3 is familiar to many of us. It’s a go-to passage when time’s effects are apparent. The verses are read at funerals, weddings, and graduations. “A time for everything” is cited when we struggle and when we rejoice in the blessings of this life.

Sometimes it frustrates us, though, that time is so out of our control. In seasons that have gone on far too long for our liking, we find it difficult to be patient. It’s hard to even think that our Lord understands the struggle of patience and waiting, or of time fleeting too quickly. After all –

“with the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day.” 2 Peter 3:8

But, our Lord set the day of Christ. He knows the day of His return. He made the seasons of our lives and He waits for us patiently. 2 Peter 3:9 tells us that:

“The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.”

Did you know that God distinguished time for us, separating “the day from the night” to “let them serve as signs to mark sacred times, and days and years” (Genesis 1:14)? He has chosen specific times. He works even in our timed circumstances. 2 Corinthians 6:2 even reminds us that we are now living in the time of the Lord’s favor, as salvation is at hand.

Take rest in this truth: God knows about timing –and He values it, too. His plans for each of us will not be thwarted by timing, nor should our hope in Him be.