God Uses Time to Help You Grow - Daily Hope with Rick Warren - December 21, 2019
2019Dec 21
God Uses Time to Help You Grow By Rick Warren
“At the right time I will hear your prayers. On the day of salvation I will help you” (Isaiah 49:8 NCV).
At the right time, God can do anything instantly. In Isaiah 60:22, God says, “I am the Lord, and when it is time, I will make these things happen quickly” (NCV).
This is hard for us to accept because God’s waiting room is sometimes the most difficult place in life. We’re in God’s waiting room when we’re in a hurry for something to happen but God isn’t. Maybe you’re in a hurry to graduate or get married or close a big deal. You’re watching the time get shorter and shorter, and you say, “God, there isn’t a whole lot of time left. This either has to happen now or it’s not going to happen at all.”
But God isn’t subject to time. Because he created time, he operates outside of time. That’s why the Bible says in Psalm 90:4 that a thousand years can seem like a few hours to God.
He uses time to test your faith and to build your character. While you’re working on your goal, God is working on you. And God’s much more interested in you than in what you’re trying to accomplish, because you’re not taking your accomplishments to heaven. You’re only taking your character.
A lot of times we think we’re waiting on God for something to happen, like a prayer to be answered. God says, “You’re not waiting on me. I’m waiting on you. I’m preparing you. I’m testing your faith and trying to mature you, because the blessing I want to give you is so much bigger than you can handle right now. Will you trust me?”
Delays can be part of God’s design, to teach you to trust him and to grow up in your character. Isaiah 49:8 says, “At the right time I will hear your prayers. On the day of salvation I will help you.” Not “might”—God will hear and answer and help, when the time is right.
For more Daily Hope with Rick Warren, please visit pastorrick.com!
Build a Firm Foundation of Prayer in the Next Generation!
“Perhaps the most important role you can play in the life of a child is teaching them to trust God through prayer. It’s the key to living with hope.” —Pastor Rick
That’s why it’s so important to strengthen the hope of kids by introducing them to Jesus’ model for prayer at an early age. And we’re excited to help you do that with Pastor Rick’s children’s book, The Lord’s Prayer: Words of Hope and Happiness.
Filled with thoughtful insights from Pastor Rick as well as stunning illustrations from award-winning artist, Richard Jesse Watson, this book brings the poetic scripture from the King James Version alive for readers young and old. It’s sure to become a meaningful bedtime ritual, a treasured memory, and by God’s grace, a legacy that bears good fruit for generations to come.
This book is a perfect way to share the beauty and richness of The Lord’s Prayer with the children the Lord has placed in your life. And it’s our thanks for your gift below to help Daily Hope take the Good News to more people everywhere. So please request a copy for yourself or a friend today, and thanks for your generosity!
*The USA IRS code permits you to deduct the amount of your financial gift to Daily Hope that exceeds the fair market value of materials you received from Daily Hope.
