Thursday, August 4, 2011

Sunday School Nugget - God's Timing


This is a Sunday School nugget I did last year, my first time doing one. I decided to do it on God's timing.

Here's an outline of my message. Funny thing is, I had to do this nugget without notes because I had forgotten to print them out ahead of time. But I stuck to the outline pretty well I think.

If you're unable to listen via the above embedded audio, click here for an alternate link to the audio of my nugget.

God's Timing
Whirlwind nugget, as I have several Bible passages to read though well-known to most of us.
Talking about something which I am currently up against - Time. Specifically, God's timing in life!

I.    God is all-powerful and He's all-knowing
Psalm 139:1-3 "knowest my downsitting...my uprising"
Psalm 139:17-18 "how precious are God's thoughts toward us!"
-If God cares about the sparrow, how much more does He care about us!

II.    Timing relates to us in many areas of life, including school, work, relationships, and major decisions that need to be made.

-Today we often want Instant gratification - microwave minute.
-Tendency is to try forcing everything by our time. Not patient and want everything done now.
    Abraham & Ishmael - not in God's timing (Genesis 17:20-21; "And as for Ishmael, I have heard thee...but my covenant is with Isaac")
        -Ishmael was born when Abram was 86, and Isaac was born when he was 100 years old! Talk about God's timing and not man's!

III.    God's timing is the only thing that matters. He knows everything about us and He has a plan for us! Why not trust in Him for our wants/needs instead of trying to force everything ourselves?

-Isaiah 40:31 - "but they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength..."
-Psalm 39:7 - "what wait I for? my hope is in thee"
-Psalm 130:5 - "I wait for the Lord...in his word do I hope"

-In every area of life (job-related, ie getting a job; relationships, ie when or if the time is right; decisions, ie when to take that big step forward in whatever it is) we need to work by God's timing!

IV.    Challenge for Us

1. Trust the Lord for whatever area (Proverbs 3:5-6 "Trust in the Lord with all thine heart...lean not unto thine own understanding")

2. Wait on HIM! (phrase/words on my phone as part of wallpaper, w/getting to know different girls from school past year and couldn't help but wonder "Could there be something there in the future between us?" - looked promising at least in my eyes but then door closed and I got discouraged; Psalm 27:14 - "wait, I say, on the Lord!")