When is a Church Plant Now a Fully Established Church?
September 7, 2023
“Timing is everything,” is a common phrase that is true in many areas of life. When we pray, our sense of timing generally defaults to, “the sooner the better.” The issue with waiting on the Lord is basically that my sense of timing and God’s perfect timing are different. They are at odds with each other. In Psalm 62, David teaches us to be relaxed in God’s timing. In verse 8, David speaks to his people and gives two general principles to follow during a time of waiting on the Lord.
This might seem like a bit too much of a general principle. Does this mean a feeling of relief, or that sweating nervously about something means you aren’t trusting God? Is there something you can do to trust Him, or do you simply have to be emotionally happy about everything all the time? These questions are answered practically in David’s second principle.
This is a metaphor for expressing everything to the Lord in prayer. Pour out every wish, hope, fear, desire, emotion, radical prospect, confessions and weakness until you have nothing more to say, then repeat. If you will pour out your heart, the sense of relief and confidence will be overwhelming. However, this all takes a lot of work. Perhaps the Lord has allowed this time of waiting to teach you how to pour out your heart.
Perhaps the Lord has allowed this time of waiting to teach you how to pour out your heart.
From our standpoint, God’s timing is often a nail-biter. His gracious help often feels last minute. But in the Lord’s viewpoint, He intervenes and helps exactly when He plans to do so. Sometimes people say, “God’s timing is best,” but the sovereignty of God teaches us that God’s timing is the only timing there is. So relax, rest, take a load off, and breathe. You too will pray the victorious prayer of David in 1 Chronicles 29:10-13 after seeing a lifetime of God’s perfect timing.
Dr. Swartz serves as Senior Pastor of Grace Bible Church in Bakersfield, California and is a guest instructor at John MacArthur’s Grace Advance Academy, a church-planting training program. Dr. Swartz is the author of numerous books, including Strength in the River, Joyful Generosity, Shattered Shepherds, and The Essential Church.
