Sometimes itās hard for me to remember that the God who is unbound by time and space allows His actions to be bound by these same things.
When we pray, itās with the knowledge and understanding that God can (and sometimes will) immediately answer our prayer in a powerful and obvious way. When the storm stops after being rebuked, when the fire doesnāt singe our clothes, when the demon is cast out with a word, when the sun stops in the sky, when the fish rescues us from a watery grave, when the little child opens her eyesāthese are the kinds of instantaneous answers we know God is capable of.
We also know that sometimes His answer is ānoā or ānot yet.ā There are prayers that He will answer in the time and place of His choosingāthat is, the perfect time and place.
Even then, I tend to think of those future answers as immediate. He chooses not to fulfill our request immediately in this moment; He will fulfill it immediately at some time in the future.
But thereās another kind of ānot yetāāthe kind that says, āYou have no way of knowing this, but the answer is already on its way.ā
When the angel came to explain a vision Daniel had received, he said, āDo not fear, Daniel, for from the first day that you set your heart to understand, and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard; and I have come because of your wordsā (Daniel 10:12).
From the first day. Some time has passed since Daniel made his first inquiry to God for clarity. How much time? At least 21 days:
But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me twenty-one days; and behold, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, for I had been left alone there with the kings of Persia. Now I have come to make you understand what will happen to your people in the latter days, for the vision refers to many days yet to come.
(Daniel 10:13-14)
This is one of the most wild glimpses the Bible gives us into the goings-on of the spirit realm.
God heard Danielās words from day one. He dispatched an angel to answer Daniel, but the angel was held up in some kind of spiritual power struggle for twenty-one days. He gets some backup from Michael, a high-ranking angel.
God could have answered that prayer immediately, if He wanted. He could have waited 21 days and then answered it immediately on that day. But instead He chose to send His answer through a messenger He knew would be delayed.
Why?
I have no idea. But I do know He had a reason. He always has a reason. And I also know His perfect wisdom means He will always answer our prayers in the perfect way and at the perfect time.
What that tells me is that sometimes, from the moment we pray to God, Heās already dispatched the answer to our prayer. Heās already set something in motionāand itās going to reach us when it needs to reach us.
Itās so easy to think of ourselves in isolation from the rest of the world, but the truth is that weāre all tied together in a complicated spiderās web of cause and effect, and only God knows what plucking one strand or adding another will do to the bigger picture.
The great fish was an immediate answer from Jonahās perspective, but even then, God āhad preparedā it (Jonah 1:17).
How far in advance?
Had He nurtured this sea creature to the size and the temperament necessary to swallow and preserve a human being for three days? Did He create it ex nihilo when the need arose? Did He divert an existing, nearby creature to snatch up Jonah?
Most people canāt hold their breath underwater for very long. How did He ensure that the fish was where it needed to be, when it needed to be there?
So many questions. Once again, I have no idea. And once again, God did. He knew exactly what to set in motion, along with how and when.
āNot yetā doesnāt mean God is sitting on His hands, making you wait for no reason.
When we pray for a believing spouse, or a dependable job, or escape from a trial, or any number of divine blessings or interventions, we are praying to a God who prepares thingsāwho sets them in motion, guiding them toward the perfect destination in time and space.
A spouse, for example, isnāt created, but prepared. Who knows how many life events God has in mind for your future spouseāand for youābefore youāre ready for each other? Who know how many elements are in the process of falling into place at some organization thatās not even on your radar; who knows how many skills God intends to help you develop and refine before youāre ready for that job youāve been praying forāor before the job is ready for you? The trial you want to end, the blessing you want to experienceāthere are cogs and levers and pulleys and strings at work you canāt begin to fathom.
But God can.
Sure, He could snap His fingers and make it all happen in a moment, but He often chooses not to. And He does this for a reason, even though we might not always understand.
What we can understand is this:
Sometimes, when we come before God and request His help, the answer is on its way before weāre finished praying.
And itāll arrive exactly when it needs to.
So thankful you are back. And with such a good one
We missed you
Jill
Thank you! Iām excited to be back!
So glad you are back!!!!!! Thank you!!!!
š
Such a lovely surprise to have this pop up this Sabbath evening, and such a timely (and timeless) message. So very glad you’re back. Thank you for not giving up on rebuilding your blog site! Loving the new “decor” and looking forward to all you’re planning to share.
Thanks for the kind words! Looking forward to unveiling a couple things in the next few weeks š
We are glad you are back! Your writings inspire us so much. You address things some common to all of us that we fail to think deeply about! Keep up the good work!
Aw, thanks! Iām really glad to be back too! Iāve missed the writing and the community.
Glad you took the time on the road to get back! Missed your writings of encouragement and wisdom. Happy Sabbath! Lisa J
Thank you! Iām looking forward to writing words instead of wrangling website code!
So happy to have you back. I really appreciated tonight’s message, such timing,
Thank you! Iām glad it came at the right time š
Thanks Mrs Reba for send me here, and of course thanks for this Sabbath thoughts that I read on the middle of an ordinary wednesday, just in the right time. āŗļø
So good to hear from you again. I missed you. Glad you are back.
Thank you! Glad to be back š
What an uplifting treat on this Sabbath eve! Thank you for resuming Sabbath Thoughts. It came immediately at the right time.
Love it when God works it out that way! š Thanks and happy Sabbath!
I work for myself as an app developer and UI/UX designer, so I am very familiar with how much thought & effort and most importantly the crazy amount of time that goes into making a website refresh like this happen.
I especially resonated with your statement about how it took longer than expected š
But I would just like to say that I think it looks great!!
Very clean and modern design, and very well laid out.
I hope it goes a long way in attracting a larger newer audience to our way of life š
All the best going forward, and we’re very happy to have Sabbath Thoughts back! šš»
Hahaāgrateful to have someone who understands my pain š¤£ Thanks for the complimentāmuch appreciated! Happy Sabbath!
We are so glad you are back we missed your Sabbath Thoughts very much. Don and Debbie D.
Thank you! Glad to be back, too! š
Hello
Welcome back and thank you for all you do to bring us inspiration from God. Sabbath thoughts your reels are that little boast that keep me going always at the right moment. God truly is amazing.
Iām so grateful to hear that! Thank you and happy Sabbath!
What a wonderful surprise to see Sabbath Thoughts in my email again. Thanks a bunch. I have missed your words of wisdom.
Thank you for the kind words! Glad to be back in action š
As so many have already commented, your writings have been missed. It was in the midst of reading that I realized how much I missed the encouraging words. You present the simple, plain Truths of God. Thank you.
Thatās very kind to sayāthank you! So excited to be back at it!
I have really missed Sabbath Thoughts. You have such a special gift from God in the way you express your thoughts (God’s thoughts). Thank you for this article. It came at the right time for me.
Thanks so much! Iām glad it came at the right time. Happy Sabbath!
So happy to have Sabbath Thoughts back up and running! God has blessed you with such a wonderful talent of writing and expressing your thoughts to us in such a way that has a great impact on how we live Godās wonderful way. Thank you for all you do in service to Godās people!
Thank you very much for the kind words! Iām grateful Godās given me the opportunity to serve in this way. Happy Sabbath!
Hello Jeremy, What a nice surprise to see this post today on the Sabbath !
welcome back and looking forward to seeing all your messages again.
Thank you! Glad to be backāhappy Sabbath!
Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!
š Happy Sabbath!
Happy Sabbath and thank you for adding the whats app application
Happy Sabbath! I was glad when I found a plugin that allowed me to add itāhope itās helpful!
Happy Sabbath! Iāve missed you, Sabbath Thoughts!
Happy Sabbath! š
Happy Sabbath! Love the new look.
Thanks! š Happy Sabbath!
Welcome back Jeremy ! You and your inspiring messages have been greatly missed !
Thank you! Happy Sabbath!
Glad you are back.
Thank you!
Happy you are back. Missed you!
Thank you! Excited to be back!
So glad to see you back; miss seeing and ready your Sabbath Thoughts.
Thank you! š
What a blessing that Sabbath Thoughts is back and what a perfect Thought today! Thank you so much for all the time and thought you put into these messages!
Thank you for the kind words! āŗļø
A long awaited, and faithfully appreciated return. many thanks for your faithful service and inspiring gifts each week. Continued blessings to you on the journey.
Yes, thrilled to see you back in action! And love the burnt orange motif. You are my favorite Church of God blog writer. You come up with thrilling insights that make me wonder why I didn’t see that! I have a big prayer now that it’s comforting to know the answer is probably en route and God will surely make it happen at exactly the right time.
Hi Jeremy,
Thanks to a friend, I just got your Sabbath Thoughts. So encouraging to read this one.
God bless you and keep up the thoughts and writings for all of us to enjoy. This one is eye opening!
I love how God shows you things that help me, and lots of others.
Mary Sweatt
Welcome back! Thank you for such an inspiring message! JoAnna
It’s great to have the Sabbath Thoughts back and running! Thank you, Jeremy, for all your hard work and efforts in making this encouraging post available to us all!
We each thank God you’re back with us, your family in Christ again ! May God instill His inspiration that each of us individually needs into your words. May it be stronger, deeper, more intense, more urgent and more fruitful than it’s been yet ! Love and Caring, and Cheers ! (Tania)