Does God’s Word to Us Expire?
Has God ever given you a promise with a time frame? Did the time frame for the fulfillment of that promise expire with no sign of it insight?
It’s not uncommon for God to give us a word, whether He speaks directly to us - in the best way He knows to get our attention - or sends someone to inform us of His message for us.
It is important to bear in mind that when God speaks it is representative of His character. He is omnipresent and so are His words.
Thus, He sends us information either to point us to the past - what He has already said -, to speak to our current reality - remind us of what He is doing -, or speak to our future - to tell us of what is to come. Therefore, because life is a test and we have free will it is important to note that sometimes God does not give us new words because His silence is directional - pointing us to what He already said.
If you’ve been around church-goers long enough, you may have heard the following statements quickly uttered to encourage you during difficult times:
God is a man of His word. (Numbers 23:19)
He is not a disappointment. (A common Christian saying)
God is never late, He’s always on time. (Habakkuk 2:3)
God does not change His mind concerning His words. (Numbers 23:19)
I believe these statements to be true and even if I didn’t, God’s character does not change and His consistency is what has enabled us to make these declarations for millennia.
Despite these statements having been established as true, every Christ-follower at some point on her journey will question if these statements are verifiable with her lived experiences. This is not because she desires to doubt God, but rather because the tests God allows her to undergo have caused her to question His character.
Case in point, you have been faithfully waiting on God for a Godly spouse and diligently seeking His face in intimacy with Him to know His heart desire for you concerning this area of your life.
Over the course of time, He matures you in the knowledge and understanding of His character. As you mature, you are able to fully surrender your desire for a Godly romantic relationship at His feet and declare in faith “....not my will Lord, but let yours be done.” (Luke 22:42)
As you learn to enjoy your current season with God - and in life - and learn to be present, suddenly He sends a word to you about the desire you surrendered at His feet.
You consider the word random, out of the blue, and weird - so you dismiss it. You are not sure if it is God’s voice and so you refuse to acknowledge it as such. In fairness to you, this is based on a healthy fear that you might be mislabelling a strange occurrence as God speaking to you.
However, not long after that perplexing event, you have another peculiar encounter and this time you don’t doubt that it is a divine experience, because it confirms the first word you received. You confidently acknowledge that the encounter is not random nor out of the blue, because you realize that God is trying to get your attention..
Once again, in faith, you declare “not my will Lord, but let yours be done.”
You completely surrender to God’s vision for your life, His preferred future for you. After fully accepting the fact that God has spoken to you, you sit in bewilderment. You ponder on the mysterious incidents and wonder what the words He spoke to you mean. You further go on to ask what is next and what will become of the current reality you’re navigating. Even with the many questions and anxious thoughts floating through your mind, you still decide to follow God’s lead. Over time you obtain enough clarity to follow God into the deep (Matthew 14:27-31), the unknown waters where He invites you to learn the art of surrendering to and depending on Him, a life of faith.
To help yourself live out the journey God invited you on, you do your best to grow deeper roots in him by anchoring yourself in His word and learning to see yourself the way He sees you. Time passes but your hope is still strong and your faith is rising. The time span of the promise(s) is approaching and you decide to give this last lap your all. You run with all the faith, hope, and courage you have.
You prepare for the manifestation of the promise, you position yourself for the blessing, and continue to sit at the feet of the father in expectation. Despite your intentional care to prepare for the expected blessings, the time frame you received passes and you ask yourself “Did I really hear from God?”
Alabaster Box
Take time to reflect, at the feet of your Creator. How would you respond in this situation? What kind of thoughts come to mind? Be honest and don't hold back. Don't push the thoughts away and don't judge them. This heart check is what God desires, because we invite Him to see us as we really are - we lay our hearts bare before Him. God can't heal who we pretend or aspire to be. He wants to refine us in our current state.
Titilope O. is the visionary founder of Operation Plan Your Wedding. She is on a divine mission to help singles, particularly women, after God's heart to “Embark on [their] journey of preparing for [their] Godly marriage and putting [their] faith into action by planning [their] future wedding.”
Titilope loves seeing women transformed to be the best versions of themselves and manifest their God-given identities as queens. She loves traveling, learning new languages, living life on purpose, and enjoying a good laugh with loved ones.
IG: @OperationPYW