Delay

Delay;

nouna period of time by which something is late or postponed: a two-hour delay| long delays in obtaining passports.You get a sinking feeling when you arrive at the airport for a flight or try to make a connecting flight and find that your flight has been delayed. Several years ago I had a youth camp to preach in Florida. A thunderstorm rolled through DFW at the exact time I arrived at the airport delaying my flight. What ensued the rest of the day is I missed my connecting flights in Memphis and Atlanta. I missed the whole first service of the camp because my original flight got delayed. I don't like delays. Several weeks ago I waited thirty minutes in line at a McDonald's drive through. I got trapped in front and behind. No kidding. Thirty minutes. Delayed at McDonald's. I don't like delays especially when it comes to the will of God. Yet, there are sovereign delays orchestrated by God. Periods when God is slow about His work. It may even appear He is late. Many times God postpones His will for His own purposes. He knows best. His timing is perfect. It is frustrating when you think you know what God wants and you are ready to do it but God intervenes with a delay. In Acts 16 Paul wanted to go and preach the word in Asia. God had other plans. He spoke to Paul in a vision. Acts 16:9-10 (ESV)
⁹  And a vision appeared to Paul in the night: a man of Macedonia was standing there, urging him and saying, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.”
¹⁰  And when Paul had seen the vision, immediately we sought to go on into Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them Did people in Asia near to hear the gospel? Did God will people in Asia to be saved? It would be reasonable to deduce that the will of God for Paul was to go to Asia to share the gospel. So why the delay? Why did God delay Paul going to Asia and send him to Macedonia. From our perspective it does not make sense. Paul going to Asia right away would appear to be the will of God. Yet God intentionally delayed that plan. I am glad He did. After Paul went to Macedonia he traveled in that region to other towns. Towns like Philippi and Thessalonica. Paul wrote epistles to the saints in these towns. Because of God's delay you and I have scriptural epistles in our hands to study and learn from today. God hindered Paul from going into Asia and brought him into His will . God's delay had a purpose in it. So do our delays even if it does appear that way. When you and I get delayed in the will of God we can trust God has a purpose in it. We may not like the delay. We may get impatient. The delay may even frustrate. If we trust God the delay can still work into God's plan and perfect timing. Are you feeling delayed? Is something you thought God wanted postponed? Trust God to work out His plan in His way and in His timing.