God’s Perfect Plan, Timing, and Revelation

We may not know when and how, but we can trust that God always keeps his promises. And when God’s plans are fulfilled, His face is revealed to us.

Scripture:
“Then they gathered around him and asked him, ‘Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?’ He said to them: ‘It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth’.” – Acts 1:6-8

Observation/Application:  
Upon his resurrection, many who were gathered around Jesus asked him when he was going to restore the kingdom? It was a reasonable question from their perspective. Jesus was the messiah, the promised deliverer. And although Jesus was there to fulfill his promise, he was not going to do things in a way that they expected.

How: Isn’t that just like God, to fulfill his promise in a way that only he can, and not the way that we are expecting? If it were the way that our minds could conceive, then we would never know that it was God who did it. If we could have known the steps that God was going to take, then we would think that we could have done it without him. “‘For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways’,” declares the Lord. “’As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts’.” – (Isaiah 55:8-9) God’s ways are perfect, and beyond what we could our minds can conceive.

When: Just as God’s ways are always perfect, so is God’s timing. It’s never too early, or too late. But just like we don’t know how God’s Will is going to be fulfilled, we also often don’t know when. In Acts, verse 7 Jesus says, “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority.” This is where faith comes in. When we have to lean on God to fulfill His promise, and when we don’t have to stress about the when and how, that is when faith exists, and when our faith can be strengthened.

Revealed: While everyone was thinking that Jesus in the flesh was going to bring restoration and power, Jesus had a better plan than they could ever conceive.  While everyone expected him to be a physical king, Jesus was planning all along to replace his physical existence on earth with the Holy Spirit. We can see this in scripture as John the Baptist proclaimed, “I baptize you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.” – (Mark 1:8). And when the Holy Spirit came down empowering everyone to heal, to speak in tongues, and to proclaim the good news, God’s plan was revealed. And God’s plans are revealed in the same way today as his promises are fulfilled.

We may not know when and how, but we can trust that God always keeps his promises. And when God’s plans are fulfilled, His face is revealed to us. When Jesus rose from the grave and brought the Holy Spirit, he made it available for all of us. When we come to know our Lord Jesus Christ, we are all baptized in the Holy Spirit. And by the power of the Holy Spirit and God’s grace, we can be blessed with all good things that are His Promise – on heaven as it is on Earth. Amen.

Prayer:
Dear heavenly Father, thank you for your Word today. Thank you for the challenges that you bring us to sharpen us and strengthen us even more. We praise you at all times and in every circumstance. Help our unbelief. Help us to count it all joy when our flesh is fighting against it. We put our trust in you Lord. We put our hope in you. Guide our every step, our every word, our every thought. Draw us close to you Lord. Deliver us from the enemy. We give you all the honor and glory in Jesus mighty name. Amen.

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