1 After this Jesus went about in Galilee. He would not go about in Judea, because the Jews were seeking to kill him. 2 Now the Jews’ Feast of Booths was at hand. 3 So his brothers said to him, “Leave here and go to Judea, that your disciples also may see the works you are doing. 4 For no one works in secret if he seeks to be known openly. If you do these things, show yourself to the world.” 5 For not even his brothers believed in him. 6 Jesus said to them, “My time has not yet come, but your time is always here. 7 The world cannot hate you, but it hates me because I testify about it that its works are evil. 8 You go up to the feast. I am not going up to this feast, for my time has not yet fully come.” 9 After saying this, he remained in Galilee. 10 But after his brothers had gone up to the feast, then he also went up, not publicly but in private. (John 7:1-10 – English Standard Version)
“My time has not yet come, but your time is always here.” There is a difference between God’s will and God’s timing. You may have asked God to grant you something and have prayed for an extensive long period of time, but the prayer has not been answered. Jesus promises us that if we pray according to His will, our prayers will be answered. Yet, there is a specific timing for things to happen. It requires a lot more spiritual discernment to understand God’s timing, than God’s will. When we pray with good motivation, pray for the good of others, pray for the good of God’s ministry, we expect our prayers to be answered promptly and everything will go smoothly. In some cases, we see immediate change. In other cases, there is a waiting period. Someone may have asked for exactly the same thing as yours and God had already answered his/her prayer long time ago. It does not mean that God has to answer your prayer at the same time. The timing is different for different person. Your time has not yet come. We have to believe that God loves us and will not deliberately keep something good from us just to make us suffer. He wants us to live in joy and peace and would grant us the best in His time.
“My time has not yet come, but your time is always here.” (John 7:6)
