Thanking God for Delays

Most people do not enjoy having delays interfere with their plans, but through them I’ve found we can learn patience and grow in trust in God.

Twenty years ago I had one of those many experiences that have taught me how delays can be a part of God’s loving watchfulness over us.

God is the Master of timing

I was traveling from Colorado to San Diego to visit my best friend and introduce my firstborn child to her.

The plan was to stop in St. George, Utah, on the way, but we didn’t get that far. As I passed the first of two exits to the small town of Richfield, I glanced at my gasoline gauge and decided I had enough gas to keep driving, ignoring a strong “tug” in my mind to pull off and fuel up anyway.

Not my plan but God’s

The “tug” was reinforced immediately because the car’s alternator suddenly went out, and my car was left to coast down the highway without power. Mysteriously, the vehicle made it to the second and final off-ramp, and then managed to coast another mile or so before quitting at the one gas station on the edge of town.

I was not thrilled with the trip interruption or the thought of extra expenses. However, I did think it odd to find a garage in such a small town that just happened to have the right alternator for my aging Volvo in stock, and that could have the repair done by morning. We found a motel where we could wait; and since night was falling, I was thankful we hadn’t been stranded.

When we finally reached our destination, my friend’s surprising first words were: “Thank God you didn’t get here when you planned to!”

She showed me the guest room she had prepared for us, and the space she had cleared for our daughter’s portable crib. An impressive hole gaped in the ceiling directly above the area.

Sometime during the first night when we should have been there, a large chandelier had crashed right where the crib would have been and would certainly have caused serious injury to a sleeping infant.

Why does God work that way?

The thought occurred to me at the time: “Why didn’t God just stop the chandelier from falling until after we left, or make it fall before we arrived?”

But what would I have learned from that?

First of all, there would be no story to tell! The occurrence would probably have been dismissed as coincidence, and it might not have been recognized as God’s intervention at all.

I would not have learned that our loving Father is way ahead of us in whatever our circumstances. He has everything under control; and by imposing such things as delays on us, He helps us to learn valuable character traits, such as patience and cheerfulness in trial—qualities He wants to build in us to prepare us for His Kingdom.

By involving us in the waiting and delaying process, He gives us an opportunity to grow closer to Him, if we trust Him. And He removes all doubt as to His presence, which builds our faith for the future.

Israel did not know how to wait

Reading the history of the nation of Israel, I’ve noticed they did not like to wait. When threatened with captivity, they wanted to flee to Egypt (Jeremiah 42), and they persecuted the prophets who told them to stay put. They formed destructive alliances with foreign nations.

When trouble looms, I am inclined to act similarly. Delays can make me restless. Even Abraham had trouble with the concept of waiting for the son of promise, and he made mistakes.

It is not “fight or flight” that God wants us to learn, but to be at peace and to wait for Him.

“Be still, and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10)

When delays happen, I’ve tried to understand what I can do to make them worthwhile. Is there an alternative to the fretting and resentment that come so naturally?

Oftentimes a delay may afford us the time to turn our attention to some other matter or person that we would otherwise neglect. It may afford a few moments to speak with someone, to catch up on some task or to read or meditate. It can become a habit to be prepared for delays and to have constructive ways to adjust in a positive way.

If we let them, our altered plans can help us seek God’s will more fully. Then we can say, in the end, as in Isaiah 25:9: “Behold, this is our God, we have waited for Him, and He will save us.”

We can also be at peace through frustrations. As Isaiah 26:3 states, “You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You.”

Nancy Diraison is an East Texas member of the Church of God, a Worldwide Association. Writing everything from music to blogs is her favorite occupation!

Related: For more about faith, see the section on “Faith: Believing and Pleasing God.”