Out of the Way: Learning to Trust God's Timing and Methods

 

Have you ever found yourself trying to help God out?

    Maybe you were waiting on an answer to prayer, staring at an unresolved problem, or waiting for a loved one to turn their life around, and you decided it was time to step in and take matters into your own hands. Maybe you felt like God was taking too long. Maybe you felt like the old statement is true that "God helps those who help themselves" and so you took matters into your own hands. 

    In our culture of instant gratification, waiting is hard and at times seems impossible. We want quick solutions, fast results, and immediate action. Research continuously shows how impatient our fast-paced society has become. If we go to the drive through we want our food quick, we don't want to be waiting in a long line to get our food. We don't like to be on hold for a call. We don't like to sit in a long line of traffic on the highway. We are impatient and it plays out in our lives in a thousand different ways. 

    When this "instant" mindset spills over into our spiritual lives, we can easily become frustrated when God doesn't move on our schedule or in the way we expect. Yet, trying to force God's hand or manufacture spiritual results always leads to friction. 

    The story of Mary, the mother of Jesus, at a wedding in Cana shows us what happens when we try to direct God's work—and the peace that comes when we finally get out of the way and let Him work in His time and in His way.

The Scripture: John 2:3–5

"And when they ran out of wine, the mother of Jesus said to Him, 'They have no wine.'

Jesus said to her, 'Woman, what does your concern have to do with Me? My hour has not yet come.'

His mother said to the servants, 'Whatever He says to you, do it.'"

— John 2:3–5 (NKJV)

Unpacking the Passage:

 A Mother's Longing and a Savior's Timing

    Jesus, along with His first five disciples, traveled north to Cana of Galilee to attend a wedding where His mother, Mary, was helping. In ancient Jewish culture, a wedding feast lasted several days, and running out of wine was a major social humiliation for the host family—like serving a birthday cake with no frosting or driving a car without wheels. To go without wine was making a statement that said "we don't have it all together and we are either too poor to afford this, or to ignorant to plan accordingly."

    When the wine ran out, Mary saw an opportunity. For 30 long years, she had quietly held the miraculous secrets of Jesus in her heart: the angel's visit, the prophecies, the shepherds, the wise men, and the quiet whispers of those who judged her for having a child before marriage. Now that Jesus had been baptized and started gathering disciples, Mary thought this wedding was the perfect moment for Him to make a grand public debut and prove His messianic identity to everyone. Surly this was the moment that she waited for all her life.

    She went to Jesus and presented the problem. But Jesus gently yet firmly corrected her: "Woman, what does your concern have to do with Me? My hour has not yet come." Jesus wasn't being disrespectful; He was clarifying that His ministry operated on God the Father's timeline, not human management no matter how well meaning it might be.

    To Mary's immense credit, she immediately yielded. Realizing Jesus did not need her coaching or direction, she stepped back and told the servants, "Whatever He says to you, do it." She trusted Him to handle the situation in His own way, in His own time, and for His own glory. That is a lesson we can all learn. 

The Big Idea: Getting Out of the Way to Let God Work

It is a good and holy thing to desire God's power in our lives, our churches, and our families. We want to see revival, broken marriages restored, and loved ones saved. But like Mary, our application is often flawed: we try to rush God, manufacture His presence, or outline how He ought to answer our prayers.

To experience true spiritual breakthroughs, we must learn to get out of the way in two key areas:

1. Let God Work in His Time

    Mary wanted an immediate, dramatic manifestation of Christ's power (don't we all) , but Jesus reminded her that His timing had not yet arrived.

Consider the timing built into the natural world:

• It takes about 63 days for a dog to give birth to puppies, but 660 days (nearly two years!) for an elephant.

• A pumpkin ripens in 120 days, while a plum tree takes 4 to 5 years to produce fruit.

• The same God is the creator for all of these things yet He choose to work each of these things in His own designed timeline.  Although God created the universe instantaneously, He designed creation to move in seasons and appointed times.

    The same spiritual law applies to your life. God could instantly alter your situation with a single word, and sometimes He does. But often, He acts like a master chef, allowing circumstances to simmer slowly to bring out spiritual depth and maturity. If a cook rushes the recipe, they risk burning the meal. Trust that God knows the exact second to bring forth His promises in your life. Sometimes we just need to get out of the kitchen and allow God to accomplish all that He is going to accomplish. 

2. Let God Work in His Way

    Mary had a specific plan in mind for how Jesus should reveal Himself, but Jesus had an entirely different method.

    There was once an elderly Scottish peddler who traveled the countryside selling thread and shoestrings. Whenever she came to an unmarked crossroads, she tossed a stick into the air and walked in whichever direction the stick pointed when it hit the ground. 

    Well one day, a traveler watched her toss the stick up three, four, and five times in a row. Curious, he asked, "Why do you keep throwing the stick?" She replied, "Because it keeps pointing to the left, and I want to go to the right!" She kept throwing it until it finally pointed the way she wanted.

    How often do we treat prayer like that stick?  How often do we resist God's leading because the direction He is wanting us to take is not the direction we really want to go? We ask God for guidance, but we come to Him with our minds already made up, trying to bend His will to ours rather than surrendering ours to His. We wouldn't tell a surgeon how to operate or enter a classroom to instruct the teacher, yet we frequently try to tell the Almighty how to handle our lives as if we know best. Are you all knowing? Are you all wise? Did you form the sun, moon and stars and set the planets in orbit all by your command? No? Well perhaps you need to trust God. True faith steps back and prays, "Not my will, but Yours be done."

Tying It All Together

    Revisiting our opening question: Have you been trying to help God out lately? Trying to carry the weight of directing your life, your family, or your future will only leave you exhausted.

• Reflect: Where in your life are you pushing for your own timing or demanding your own answers instead of waiting on the Lord?

• Encouragement: Mary’s simple command to the servants remains the best spiritual advice ever given: "Whatever He says to you, do it." When you release control, you place your life into the hands of the One who makes all things beautiful in His time.

• Challenge: Step out of the director's chair this week. Lay down your timeline, hand over your expectations, and trust that the Master Chef of your life is working out something far better than you could ever manufacture on your own.

This is Part 5 in our series, Life-Changing Encounters with Jesus.