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12 Weeks of Prayer Week 11 Day 1


12 Weeks of Prayer Week 11 Day 1

GOD'S TIMING, NOT OUR TIMING. WAIT!

By Rev. Dr. Teresa Allissa Citro


"And the Lord said, 'Arise, anoint him, for this is he.'

Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him

in the midst of his brothers.

And the Spirit of the Lord rushed upon

David from that day forward."

1 Samuel 16:12-13



The biggest mistake that I see in this hour is that we want to live in microwave time. If it doesn’t happen this very instant, then we heard wrong from God. Please read your Bible and study it. God gave a word, and most of the time people had to wait for its manifestation. Understand the prophetic please.


Personally, I am saddened by all the negative attitudes towards God’s beautiful promises. I’m sorry that sometimes I share what God tells me He would do with some people. I speak often about aborting our destinies because I see people give up when something God has told them doesn’t happen according to their timetable, or how they envisioned it to be. Please understand God’s ways are not our ways nor are His thoughts our thoughts. His thoughts are higher than ours.


In the next few devotionals, I will address this issue from a different perspective. Let’s address timing first. God said, “A thousand years in your sight are like a day that has just gone by, or like a watch in the night,” (Psalm 90:4). That’s Old Testament. “But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day,” (2 Peter 3:8). That’s New Testament. This was so important that God conveys it twice to be sure that we got it. Yet, we still act like we don’t understand it.


We must understand that God’s timetable looks nothing like ours. Let’s look at the life of David. He was appointed king as a boy. He was somewhere between 10-15 years old when Samuel anointed him as king, God’s chosen one to rule Israel, before his father and brothers. Scripture tells us that he was finally crowned king at the age of 30. He was king for 40 years.


David knew that he was anointed as king since he was a pre-adolescent/adolescent. Imagine knowing that you are the king of a nation and, year after year, you're still a peasant with no say. No authority. No voice. He had to wait between 15-20 years to see that promise from God come to pass.


How many people would have given up? Losing out on being a king? Unfortunately, it happens all the time. I declare that this shall not be anyone reading this devotional.


So, then, what was so different about this young boy David? His heart. Samuel here thought that it was his elder brother, Eliab. God had this to say about Eliab, “But the LORD said to Samuel, 'Do not look at his appearance or at the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for God sees not as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart,'” (1 Samuel 16:7). Please do not judge by outward appearance. It will always deceive you.


Later, God said this to Samuel to tell King Saul, the very king David would replace, "But now your kingdom shall not continue. The Lord has sought for Himself a man after His own heart,” (1 Samuel 13:14).


It’s all about our heart’s condition. It is here where we make decisions. This is why we hear people say, “What does your heart say?" Or "Follow your heart!” If our heart is completely devoted to God and His will, then we can rest assure that He will do that which He said. It is settled in our hearts. Even if we become weary, remember David never complained about when he would be King and replace King Saul. He was never rude or disrespectful to King Saul nor did he wish him any harm. “I will not touch God’s anointed” is what David said. Be careful with your actions and attitudes towards others.


David had it very hard since the moment Samuel anointed him before his family privately. His family knew who he was. Yet, when his father sent him to bring food to them and the leaders of the army where the battle was, he was treated badly by his brothers. David didn’t engage. He stood up and single handily defeated Goliath. After that victory, you would think King Saul would have blessed him, honored him, respected him. Instead, he tried to eliminate him, spending many years in hot pursuit to kill him. King Saul’s reward to David was his daughter’s hand in marriage.


Please understand two important factors.


1. When God anoints a person, they carry that holy anointing. If they remain holy, righteous, and blameless before God, nobody can touch them. People can persecute, harass, set up traps, lie, manipulate, etc. It will never stand before Almighty God. God does what He says. Period.


2. God has His timing. Timing is everything. We don’t have God’s timing. His appointment schedule looks nothing like ours. We must stand still and see the deliverance of His promises. No matter what happens, or how long it takes, we must remain strong in faith, believing that God shall bring it to pass.



I keep on talking about my kids. I had to wait 15 years since God told me that He was going to send me a daughter. He gave me a son first. Even then, I had to wait. I remember one Sunday in May 1999. It was after church. The worship leader of our church and one of my dearest friends ran after me to ask how I was doing. "Any news with the baby situation?" My church was praying and standing with me in the promise that God had made me, especially the leadership of my church.


I said, “Forget it, Noel. God’s promise isn’t going to happen after all. The baby will not come.” I’m still embarrassed by those words. I was tired. It had been over 10 years. I just couldn’t hang on anymore. I was feeling defeated. "Maybe I heard wrong" was my thought. Shame on me especially since God promised and confirmed it.


I shall never forget Noel’s facial expression and words. There I was standing at the entrance of the church. I was feeling so defeated, and I ended up speaking negative words over the Word of the Living God. Noel stood there with holy boldness, filled with the Spirit of God, and with a rebuking voice, she spoke loud and clear. I knew, then, as I know now that it was well earned by my faithless behavior and negative words.


“Teresa Citro, I rebuke that in the name of Jesus Christ. I rebuke your words. That’s a lie from the pit of hell. Those words are not of God. I’m not going to listen to what you just said. I declare that baby will come forth just like God told you.” Then, she turned around and walked away from me. No hug, no kiss, no talking, no nothing, not even goodbye! I will never forget that Sunday morning.


She would not participate in my ungodly and defeated attitude. She did the very right thing. She told me off, unapologetic. Truth here. We do not have to listen to the contradictory, negative, and defeated attitudes of people. It’s counterproductive. Our actions can never agree with that which goes against the Word of God. Thank God there have been godly friendships in my life. Justin came right after that scene. It was miraculous.


Please hear me. Never ever abort the promises of God. Keep your heart in check, like David did. His heart was the deciding factor for God’s promise coming to pass. David just lived his life. He just continued to do that which was right before God. During the most difficult times of his running for his very life, we find his beautiful writings that make one of the most famous and well-respected books of the Bible, the book of Psalms.


Learn to wait on God. He has His reasons and purposes for making us wait. During the wait, we are to rely on Him. Believe Him. Trust Him. Hope in Him. Love and honor Him with our lives. Promise or no promise, we follow Him, and we wait for Him, regardless of what He chooses to do, how long it takes, or what obstacles are in our way. God is not man that He should lie. He does that which He says He will do. Change your attitude. Go up the mountain, climb higher, because it is there where destinies are fulfilled.


 
 

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