Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time.
—1 Peter 5:6
When I was pregnant with my son Brandon, the doctor made me stop working a month and a half before the due date because I was in danger of preterm labor. The doctor knew Brandon’s best chance at a healthy life lay in prolonging his birth.
I had to go in for weekly checkups, and every week they warned me about the situation. Days went by. Weeks went by. A month passed. Almost two months passed. By the time Brandon’s due date came and went, I felt like I had been pregnant for two years! All this talk of an early delivery for months on end kept me ready for the birth, but it didn’t happen. After the due date came and went, I wondered if he was ever coming out!
Finally, it happened. Labor pains began, and a baby was born!
Waiting for God’s due date often involves a lot of waiting. You hear God’s promise. Others confirm the promise and build your expectation of it. You see signs of it being fulfilled, and even a few false starts get your heart pumping!
Then it seems like it’s never going to happen. It’s taking too long. Will it ever happen?
The beginning of Proverbs 13:12 says,
“Hope deferred makes the heart sick…”
When we’ve been hoping for something to be birthed for a long time and we don’t see it happening, we get heartsick. We can lose hope and give in to discouragement.
The ending of Proverbs 13:12 explains that
“a longing fulfilled is a tree of life.”
Just as surely as my son had a due date, so does your promise from God! Ecclesiastes 3:11 says, “He has made everything beautiful in its time.”
Your time will come. Your promise will come. God knows what’s best for you and those around you. He knows what needs to take place so you’ll be ready to take care of your promise.
Trust God with your due date!
PRAYER:
Father, today I humble myself before You. I put my life in Your mighty hand. Help me to trust You and believe that Your timing is best! May I know that You will bring to pass all that You have promised—on the perfect due date! In Jesus’ name, amen.
DRAWING FROM THE WELL
- 1 Peter 5:6
- Proverbs 13:12
- Ecclesiastes 3:11
- Galatians 6:9
This devotion is being shared on the SEE HOPE LOVE show website: March 8, 2017
