Aligning Goals with God's Will Part 3
Download MP3Welcome to a place of peace, hope, and divine encouragement. This is Joy in Every Step with your host, beloved preacher, retired teacher, and faithful faithful servant of the Lord, Sarita Bernadette. Each week, Sarita shares heartfelt messages rooted in the Word of God, filled with wisdom, joy, and the gentle reminder that God cares deeply for you. Whether you're walking through the valleys or dancing on the mountaintops, Sarita's voice will guide you back to his promises step by step. So open your heart, settle your spirit, and take the next step in faith with Joy in Every Step.
Sarita Bernadette:Hi, I'm Sabrina Bernadette and welcome back to another episode of Joy in Every Step. I'm glad you're here. As we move forward into this year working to align our goals with God's plans, we are made keenly aware at times that God's timing isn't the same as ours. Just because we plan to accomplish something by a certain time doesn't mean that we will. Now I'm all about being prepared.
Sarita Bernadette:That's important. But I've noticed God has a way of doing things in his own time and in the end it works out for our good. Ecclesiastes three verses one through eight. Familiar passage for many of you. I'm going to read it in its entirety as a reminder for us today.
Sarita Bernadette:For everything there is a season and a time for every matter under heaven, a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to pluck up what is planted, A time to kill and a time to heal. A time to break down and a time to build up. A time to weep and a time to laugh. A time to mourn and a time to dance. A time to throw away stones and a time to gather stones together.
Sarita Bernadette:A time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing. A time to seek and a time to loose. A time to keep and a time to throw away. A time to tear and a time to sew. A time to keep silent and a time to speak.
Sarita Bernadette:A time to love and a time to hate. A time for war and a time for peace. Let's talk about time for just a bit. As you probably know, there are two primary types of time, both of which originate from the ancient Greeks. One is Kronos and the other is kairos.
Sarita Bernadette:Kronos is the one we use to measure our lives quantitatively. You know, we use clocks to track seconds, minutes, hours, etc, and calendars to track the months and the years. Kairos refers to timing qualitatively. Kairos moments are opportune or God ordained times for something to happen. Kairos time is divinely orchestrated.
Sarita Bernadette:It's deep time, if you will. Kronos is about sequence and measurement, while kairos is about impact and fulfillment. So we live in chronostime. We often live with a sense of urgency. We're up against deadlines.
Sarita Bernadette:We are adhering to schedules and the feeling that time is running out is present. Or, you know, you've heard the saying, Time waits for no one. We're in a hurry. You hear the expression, Don't waste time. Time is money, and so on and so forth.
Sarita Bernadette:But when we pause and we really think about it, we find that often our lives are shaped by the kairos moments we have along the way, the divinely orchestrated events that help us fulfill our earthly assignments. As we pray, worship, and listen for God's voice, we are guided by God's timing and not just the calendar. Genesis eight and twenty two declares, As long as the earth endures, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night shall not cease. This is a foundational promise of God's covenant after the flood where he ensures that there will be predictable and reliable cycles of nature. This verse reveals God's commitment to never again flood the earth as he did in Noah's days.
Sarita Bernadette:He refers to the principle of seed planting: sowing a seed in the ground and watering it, making sure it gets proper sunlight. Then after some time something comes up out of the ground and eventually it's ready to harvest right. Right? You might know the cycle and be familiar with it. It's simple, relatable piece of science.
Sarita Bernadette:Those of us that did not grow up on a farm learned this process in kindergarten. Anybody remember those little paper cups in the windowsill? I know people who are trying to cultivate gardens in their backyards and they talk about the fact that the soil has to be kept moist and the weather conditions just right for success. What I hear them talk about most often is the amount of time it takes to grow certain things. It's trial and error.
Sarita Bernadette:It takes practice and patience. And timing is important. You have to put that seed in the ground at just the right time and then wait. You don't want what you're growing to come up too early and turn out to be underdeveloped. Additionally, if you don't get what you've grown harvested on time, it can rot or spoil.
Sarita Bernadette:Spiritually, this concept connects us to a deeper principle, and that is there are going to be times in our lives that require us to plant seed, nurture that seed, and wait. Wait for the divinely orchestrated moment of harvest, the kairos moment. Seed, time, harvest. God has not changed his mind about that. We can get pretty anxious around this time of year.
Sarita Bernadette:We're two weeks in and we think we should be seeing some fruit by now. You know, why isn't the scale moving? Where's the call about that deal I've been working on? Why hasn't my blood pressure number changed? Why hasn't my child given her life to Christ yet?
Sarita Bernadette:I've been fasting for fourteen days. Where is my miracle? Beloved, seed time harvest. Listen, we can't see the plant rooting underground, right? We just do what we can up top, and we trust that it's happening.
Sarita Bernadette:In spirit, it's the same. We do what God tells us to do and know that he is working in the background. Romans eight twenty eight: And we know that all that happens to us is working for our good if we love God and are fitting into his plans. It's working for our good, beloved. The Bible has a lot to say about patience and God's timing.
Sarita Bernadette:Psalm twenty seven and fourteen reads, Wait for the Lord, be strong, and let your heart take courage. Wait for the Lord. Then there's Galatians six:nine, So let us not grow weary in doing what is right, for we will reap at harvest time if we do not give up. Beloved, I'm here to remind you today: God isn't obligated to fit into our time frame. He knows our days and everything about them, so we have to trust his timing.
Sarita Bernadette:Understanding God's timing means trusting in his plans. His divine plans will always unfold perfectly, even if they seem slow. Even though we don't always understand them, we must be patient and full of faith. Habakkuk two:three For there is still a vision for the appointed time. It speaks of the end and does not lie.
Sarita Bernadette:If it seems to tarry, wait for it. It will surely come. It will not delay. And then that same verse of scripture in the living Bible reads, But these things I plan won't happen right away. Slowly, steadily, surely the time approaches when the vision will be fulfilled.
Sarita Bernadette:If it seems slow, do not despair, for these things will surely come to pass. Just be patient. They will not be overdue a single day. As we work to align our plans with God's perfect will and his divine timing, I believe he prepares us and strengthens us in the waiting. He builds our character so that when those promised blessings show up at the opportune or kairos moment, we can handle them.
Sarita Bernadette:Isaiah 40 verse 31: But those who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength. They shall mount up with wings like eagles. They shall run and not be weary. They shall walk and not faint. God promises that we will be strengthened and renewed in the waiting.
Sarita Bernadette:Lamentations three verses twenty five and twenty six: The Lord is good to those who wait for him, to the soul that seeks him. It is good that one should wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord. Beloved, God is good, and he will extend that goodness to those who wait for him. And just to clarify, waiting doesn't mean that we are doing nothing. We are actively seeking him and his way of doing things as we wait.
Sarita Bernadette:So what do we do while we wait for the Lord, as we wait for that kairos moment? A few things: pray. Spend time with the Lord in prayer. Listen for his voice. He won't reveal the whole plan all at once, but he will tell you what to do next if you pray.
Sarita Bernadette:Second, trust. Trust. Don't stress, beloved. That familiar proverb three verses five and six tells us, rather, Trust God with all your heart. Philippians four:six-seven advises us to pray instead of becoming anxious.
Sarita Bernadette:And one Peter five:seven reminds us to cast all our anxiety on Him. Just a side note right here: Beloved, anxiety happens. I fully recognize that. I think we all do. So when it comes, just go ahead and deal with it.
Sarita Bernadette:Face it. Take it to the Lord. If you need extra help, get that too. Selah. Then third: work with what you have right where you are while you're waiting.
Sarita Bernadette:Ask yourself the questions: What do I have at hand? What can I do with what I have available to me? What has God given me that I can use right here, right now? I've talked about Joseph before. Joseph, Joseph, the son of Jacob and Rachel.
Sarita Bernadette:His story is found in Genesis verses, Genesis rather, chapters 36 through 50. And in Genesis, the thirty seventh chapter, we read where he's sold into slavery by his brothers, and he winds up serving in the house of Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh, the king of Egypt. Potiphar just so happened to be the captain of the palace guard. He wasn't just an officer. And that's no accident.
Sarita Bernadette:Kairos moment. While he's there, while Joseph is there, he eventually becomes the overseer of the whole household. God honors Joseph's work and he's elevated. Right there. Then there's a bump in the road.
Sarita Bernadette:He's falsely accused of attempting to assault Potiphar's wife and subsequently he's imprisoned. There he gains the favor of the warden and is put in charge again. This time he winds up being the second in command in Egypt. How did he get this kind of favor twice? Joseph listened to God's voice.
Sarita Bernadette:The word says that God was with him. Joseph trusted God and he used what he had and did what he could while he waited, right there. See, Joseph interpreted the dreams of the royal butler and the baker while in captivity. He did so with such accuracy that they remembered this and mentioned Joseph to Pharaoh when he needed an interpreter. Joseph then interpreted Pharaoh's dream as well and was elevated to a position of authority.
Sarita Bernadette:That position allowed him to save himself, his family, and an entire country. Using his abilities to manage people and interpret dreams, Joseph was able to be strengthened and prepared for his assignments. In spite of his suffering, he remained patient and faithful. Beloved, God's timing is impeccable. Ecclesiastes three eleven He has made everything suitable for its time.
Sarita Bernadette:Moreover, he has put a sense of past and future into their minds, yet they cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end. God is sovereign and he's omniscient. He knows we don't. He makes everything right for it's appointed opportune time. You've been listening to Joy in Every Step.
Sarita Bernadette:I'm Sarita Bernadette, and I'm grateful you chose to spend some time here with me. Feel free to share this episode with someone you know would appreciate it. You can find Joy in Every Step wherever you listen to your podcasts and give us a follow there. Do check out the website at joyineverystep.org. See you next time.
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