Get this right and you can affect outcomes …

One of the most overlooked yet pivotal elements to outcomes of almost anything we pursue is the vital element of timing.

If you get into the stock market at the wrong time, you’ll suffer for it. But if you invest at the right time, you could be richly rewarded.

If you press the yellow light and wind up running a red light instead, you could face a ticket or worse.

If you go into your bosses’ office to ask for that raise right after he gets yelled at by his boss, you may regret bringing up the subject. If you mention it after snagging a new client, you could soon find yourself in a new tax bracket.

And if you’ve ever cried from laughing so hard at a talented comedian, you know how vital timing is to telling a funny story or a great joke.

In all of these — and so many other instances in life — timing is vital to achieving the result we want. What that often means is that we do what is necessary on our part to achieve the results we’re striving for, but we wait on the full execution until just the right time.

The same is true with God.

God is the master of timing. Look closely at what Paul wrote about God’s timing in Galatians 4:4-5, “4 But when the right time came, God sent his Son, born of a woman, subject to the law. 5 God sent him to buy freedom for us who were slaves to the law, so that he could adopt us as his very own children.”

At just the right time in human history — not a moment before, or a second too slow — God sent His Son into this world to execute His plan of salvation for us.

Too often we think God isn’t listening to our prayers, that He may not even care because we don’t see Him acting now. Just because God doesn’t act according to our idea of “good timing” doesn’t mean He hasn’t heard, doesn’t care, or isn’t active in our lives. Often, He’s waiting for just the right time in order to bring about what’s best for us rather than something far less beneficial now.

God isn’t hung up on an inferior concept of expediency. His timing is perfect.

So if you really want God’s best for your life, wait for it … wait for it …

Scotty