Keeping in Step With God’s Appointed Times

As this week marks the launch of a new season of ministry, and as I have also been teaching through my book Discovering Your Destiny on the Torchbearers podcast, I have been reflecting on the concept of God’s appointed times. Life is lived out in seasons, and God works in and through each season in different ways. He also has an appointed time for certain things to take place in our lives.

In the New Testament, one of the Greek words for ‘time’ or ‘season’ is kairos. This word speaks of time not so much in the chronological sense but in the sense of a specific key moment in time. It refers to God’s appointed time to act or a specific opportune season for fulfillment and movement forward. Understanding the ways of God and how He works in our lives at different times will help us to mature as He intends in each season. It will also help us not to become frustrated during times of testing, waiting, or preparation.

Below are three examples of things that come about in God’s appointed time.

1. Reaping a Harvest

Galatians 6:9 says, “let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart.” When we are walking in obedience and doing the right things but not seeing any measurable results, it can become frustrating. Paul encouraged the Galatian church not to grow tired of doing the good things they were doing, because a harvest was coming. But this harvest would come in due season–God’s appointed time.

There is a season of sowing and a season of reaping. This principle applies to various areas of our lives: spiritually, relationally, financially, and otherwise. We must continue to walk in faithfulness and obedience to the Lord and trust that He will bring a harvest into our lives at the proper time.

2. Stepping into Your Calling

The Bible says of John the Baptist that he “was in the deserts till the day of his manifestation to Israel” (Luke 1:80). There was an appointed time for John to step into his true calling, but until that time he was in the wilderness being prepared and trained. When we receive a calling from the Lord, our tendency is often to want to step right into it and begin to fulfill the call. But that is not how God works. Once we are called, we are launched into a season of testing and training.

Looking at the lives of men and women of faith in the Bible, we can see this consistent pattern: calling, preparation, commissioning. The exact process looks different with each person, and there are no formulas to fulfilling our destiny, but the pattern holds true. When we receive a calling from God, we must submit to His process and trust that He will release us into the fullness of this calling at His appointed time.

3. Being Exalted

1 Peter 5:6 says, “Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time.” It is up to us to humble ourselves and up to God to exalt us in His own time and way. This is one of the consistent principles of Scripture: “Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted” (Matthew 23:12).

In a world where self-promotion abounds, Jesus calls us to humble ourselves before God and others. It is not our job to exalt ourselves, and such behavior is a sign of immaturity and insecurity. Instead, we should trust God that He will exalt us at His appointed time according to His own plan and purpose. It is all for His glory!

All of these examples speak to the importance of waiting on God, trusting in His timing, and submitting to His process. Keeping in step with God’s appointed times is a key aspect of walking with the Lord and fulfilling our purpose. May we all grow in our trust in God and our understanding of His ways no matter what season we are in!