Do you struggle with trusting God’s timing? There is a fine line between questioning, doubting, and trusting. We often want to trust God, but we also wrestle with trusting His timing. Angela Donadio shares how people who move forward with trusting God and His timing can experience an outcome that is supernatural.
I recently had an opportunity to chat with Angela on an episode of Your Hope-Filled Perspective podcast. You won’t want to miss our insightful discussion: “Is Doubting God a Sin?” on Episode 236.
Be sure to read to the end for a book giveaway!
Trusting God’s Timing
By Angela Donadio
Life often feels like one big lesson in trust. The circumstances surrounding our choices may change, but the core question remains: Do I truly trust God? Sometimes, He asks us to trust Him and move forward through uncharted territory and unexpected shifts. Other times, He asks us to be still and wait. We can trust Him whether His answer at the time is yes, no, or not yet.
When God’s Timing Confounds
In John chapter 11, we find the second encounter between Thomas and Jesus. We will discover a divine setup for God’s glory and Thomas’s growth. Jesus received an urgent request to return to Judea, an area filled with tension surrounding His ministry. Their friend, Lazarus, was gravely ill. When it made sense for Jesus to go, He stayed. Then, when it was too late for Lazarus, Jesus expressed His desire to go.
Because the apostles didn’t know or understand the purpose behind His decision, nearly all became the voice of opposition.
We, too, can struggle to truly understand Jesus and His ways. Our limited knowledge threatens to obscure our ability to believe that God wants the best for us.
Waiting on and Trusting God’s Timing
We may doubt God’s love when we think He’s late. We may begin to question His character when it seems He didn’t show up in the way we thought He should. We may become disheartened when a delay causes the death of a dream or our hope. Or we can be brave enough to believe that while we wait, God works. Our questions about God’s timing are opportunities for God’s glory. He wants us to wait – not on an outcome – but on Him. When we seek God’s glory above all else, we leverage adversity for our spiritual growth.
Anytime God makes His direction clear to us, we are faced with the choice to be brave enough to believe and go with Him no matter what. When we obey, even when we don’t understand, the outcome is supernatural.
Reflecting on Your Alignment with God’s Timing
Question:
Do you tend to lag behind or rush ahead of God’s timing?
How does Philippians 4:6-8 help you experience the peace that while you are waiting, God is working?
Personal Prayer:
Jesus, help me to trust Your timing, even when I don’t understand. More than anything, I want to see Your glory through my life and decisions. Amen.
What helps you trust God’s timing? We’d love to hear in the comments below.
About Angela Donadio
Angela Donadio is an author, speaker, host of the Make Life Matter Podcast, and Founder and Director of the Communicators’ Collective. A seasoned Bible teacher with thirty years of ministry experience, she partners with her husband, Dale, to lead a multi-ethnic church outside of Washington, D.C. She is currently pursuing her Masters of Leadership and Ministry from AGTS. As the Founder of Voice of the Voiceless, she champions education and empowerment initiatives for women in Africa and leads teams for international ministry around the world. She is a survivor of two near-death health crises, grateful mom, and an adventure junkie. www.angeladonadio.com
Connect with Angela: Website / Facebook / YouTube / Instagram / Podcast
Book Giveaway
In conjunction with this post and the podcast interview, Angela is giving away a free copy of her book, Brave Enough to Believe: How the Life of Doubting Thomas Answers Our Hard Questions.
Leave a comment below sharing with us one thing you learned about overcoming doubt to trust God’s timing and you will be entered into the contest for your chance to win a copy of her book.
You could also share this blog post on Facebook, Pinterest, or Twitter then comment here to tell us where you shared it and you’ll also be entered into the drawing.
The winner will be selected at random and announced next Monday, October 30, 2023. Continental United States only.
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Thanks so much Edwina! Blessings!
This was found by Divine guidance. I’m in a struggle. The Lord instructed me to trust. It is hardIce been in survivor mode for so long. Thank you for sharing. There was confirmation of my spiritual struggle between trust and doubt. Lord, I believe. Please help my disbelief.
When my husband had cancer the first time, I thought God had terrible timing. Then he lost his job as a teacher and had to work in construction for a while while he went back to school to become a principal. Fast forward nine years, and all the odd jobs, sub jobs, and continuing education he did turned into making him the perfect candidate to lead a school for Native American youth. It took us ten years to figure out God’s timing, but I no longer doubt that God knows what he’s doing!
Yes this is a real truth maker. We expect something because we have felt that we followed hard after God but He is still God and we live in a world where we are opposed to bringing righteousness to the planet so yes this is very timely thank you.
“Our limited knowledge threatens to obscure our ability to believe that God wants the best for us.” This was a wonderful reminder of the importance in knowing the character of God. It helps us when doubts should try to weaken our faith.
Thank you so much for this beautiful reflexion ! I tend of course to rush ahead of God´s timing and that is something I should learn to change . It happens in the area of relationships . Feelings can´t be forced so we´d better learn to leave the realm of emotions to the Lord, because spontaneity is about going with the flow , isn´t it? Reading Philippians 4 aligns us with what is true and good for our anxious mind , sort of brings us back on track . I love your post . A big hug from a fervent reader! blessings