God’s timing
“The stops of a good man are ordered by the Lord as well his steps.” — George Mueller
George Mueller was a Christian evangelist and the director of Ashley Down orphanage in England. The work of Mueller and his wife with orphans began in 1836. In his lifetime, He cared for 10,024 orphans while providing educational opportunities for them. He established 117 Christian schools which educated more than 120,000 students.
Mueller never made requests for financial support to care for the orphanage (nor did he go into debt). Many times, he received unsolicited food donations only hours before they were needed to feed the children. These miraculous acts further strengthened his faith and trust in God.
Mueller was in constant prayer with God asking Him to provide for the needs of the orphans in his care. Because of these faithful prayers, God touched the hearts of donors to make provisions for the orphans.
For example, this well documented occasion showed Mueller’s strong faith in His Lord:
“The children are dressed and ready for school. But there is no food for them to eat,” the housemother of the orphanage informed George Mueller. George asked her to take the 300 children into the dining room and have them sit at the tables. He thanked God for the food and waited. George knew God would provide food for the children as he always did. Within minutes, a baker knocked on the door. “Mr. Mueller,” he said, “last night I could not sleep. Somehow I knew that you would need bread this morning. I got up and baked three batches for you. I will bring it in.” Soon, there was another knock at the door. It was the milkman. His cart had broken down in front of the orphanage. The milk would spoil by the time the wheel was fixed. He asked George if he could use some free milk. George smiled as the milkman brought in ten large cans of milk. It was just enough for the 300 thirsty children." (GeorgeMueller.org)
We may feel that God’s timing doesn’t always align with our time table. In fact, sometimes we feel God has forgotten us all together. But nothing can be further from the truth. Throughout scripture we are encouraged and reminded that God hears our prayers. In Psalms 34:4 David says, “I prayed to the LORD, and he answered me. He freed me from all my fears.” God hears our prayers and sees our needs. And as we see in this story of George praying for the immediate need of feeding the children, God answered just in time.
When we consider our days, we are consumed with the here and the now. We see our time in hours, minutes, and seconds. God, however, sees our lives holistically. Every intimate detail of our days matter to Him because He knows our destiny. God sees us in our waiting. He uses the periods of waiting in our life for refinement worth more than gold. When we surrender our ideal timing to God, we put ourselves at the mercy of a merciful and loving God, which is a beautiful place to be.
“But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.” — Isaiah 40:31
The Good News is this: Even though God’s timing does not fit into our time table, one thing we can be assured of— God’s timing will always be perfect for us!
“The Bible says that the steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord. And in his Bible, George Mueller had written in the margin “And the stops also.” Yes, dear friend, just like our walks are ordered by the Lord, our holdups are also ordered by the Lord. Just like our ways have a greater purpose, our stops also have a higher purpose. If our calling builds our faith, our holdups strengthen our faith and make our patience perfect.
If the Lord has built a hedge around us, let us not try to break through them. Let us focus our eyes on Jesus, and the Pillar of the Cloud will move at the right moment, and then let us follow Him to our destiny. Amen.” (Patric Benziher)
“The LORD directs the steps of the godly. He delights in every detail of their lives.” — Psalms 37:23