Timing

      480 years after leaving Egypt to go live in the promised land we finally see the first permanent structure for worship. I imagine the Israelites were tired of moving metal chairs to make room! It seems odd that the first permanent structure dedicated to the worship of God was not built for this long. Surely palaces were built, homes were built, places of business were built. The building of the House of God provided a permanence to their residence.

For this to take 480 years we would have to conclude that God’s timing is not always our timing. I want permanence immediately. I want things finished now. I want things to be like I expect them to stay right from the start. But, for things to go this way I may have to get ahead of God’s timing.

Those of Israel who left Egypt never experienced this time of permanence, neither did their children or even their children’s children. Nonetheless, they moved forward as if they would see this in their lifetime. They raised their children to move forward and obey God as if they would see this in their lifetime. They realized and lived with the fact that God’s timing and our temporal earthly timing are not the same.

You and I would do good to operate the same. We can’t, but we should try to wrap our heads around the fact that what we do today make take 500 years to develop. Your: vote, deposit, prayer, offering, study, smile, selfless time, etc. These things may never develop in your lifetime, but within God’s timing He will use the work you put in.