In His Time and in His Way

This week, I had the privilege of speaking at the Canada Institute of Linguistics (CANIL) chapel. The chapel theme for their Summer@CANIL program is “God’s Word Accomplishes His Intentions.” The theme comes out of Isaiah 55:11: “... so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.”

As I thought about the theme, I was struck with the reality that God accomplishes His plans in His time and in His way. The verses preceding the promise in Isaiah 55:11 remind us that God’s ways are higher than our ways; His thoughts are higher than our thoughts (vv. 8-9). If I agree with these theological truths (and I do), why do I sometimes flip out when God’s ways are different from what I think would be best? How can we hold on to God and His promises when life seems to be going sideways?

In the chapel session, I reflected on the men and women mentioned in Hebrews 11. None of them saw the complete fulfillment of God’s promises to them (Heb. 11:39-40). Yet, they still walked with God. They obeyed His call on their lives, even when it involved considerable sacrifice. The bottom-line for all of them was that they had faith in a promise-keeping God, One who works out His ultimate plans according to His timetable and in His way. I want to have more of that kind of faith.