Now Elisabeth's full time came that she should be delivered; and she brought forth a son. And her neighbours and her cousins heard how the Lord had shewed great mercy upon her; and they rejoiced with her ~ Luke 1:57-58.
Introduction:
There is an appointed time for everything under the sun (Ecclesiastes 3:1,11). Time is set for every event, occasion or accomplishment on earth, and events are forced to be, not as man wishes but as God disposes at His appointed time. When His set-time comes, the music starts.
Every enviable destiny is secured by divine timing (Ecclesiastes 9:11). Yes, we all cry, and rightly so, for supernatural satisfaction in all areas of our lives (Psalms 90:14). Yet, to labour slavishly for gains outside of divine time is to labour like a mule that has no understanding.
Fulfillment of destinies is all about divine timing; it is therefore very crucial that we discern time as it unfolds: “…a wise man's heart discerneth both time and judgment” (Ecclesiastes 8:5). In fact, God is often grieved to see His little children sweating profusely outside of or in contrast to their appointed times.
Jesus Christ alerted us that devastating destructions await those who fail to discern their days of visitation (Luke 19:41-44). In His earthly walk, the Lord Himself was constantly sensitive to divine timing (John 7:8; Matthew 26:18). He waited for and keyed to it in every detail of His life and ministry. The Bible even says “in due time Christ died for the ungodly” (Romans 5:6).
The appointed time is God’s prerogative, and it is futile to attempt to alter it (Ecclesiastes 8:6). Divine time cannot be changed; we can only embrace and maximize it when it comes. This was why Job resolved to wait for it, even as he looked unto God for change in the untoward situations in which he found himself (Job 14:13-14).
Understanding Kairos Set-Time
Basically, time is a non-spatial continuum in which events occur in apparently irreversible successions from the past through the present to the future. It is also a period designated for a given activity or an event to occur — an appointed or fated moment.
The ancient Greeks had two words for time, “chronos” and “kairos”. Chronos refers to chronological or sequential time, while kairos signifies a moment of indeterminate time in which something special is bound to happen. Kairos means the right or opportune moment for an event, the supreme moment for an accomplishment.
In the New Testament kairos means "the appointed time in the purpose of God"(Mark 1:15). Kairos time is the set-time for the Lord to act. It is "the crucial time" or“the appointed time” when God arises in His characteristic mercy to favour His covenant people (Psalms 102:13).
Before creation there was no time, all we had was eternity. Time is a sort of an intersection with eternity. Benny Hinn said, “time is a crack in eternity”. Indeed, time is a robust processor of events and occurrences: "it came to pass in process of time …" (Exodus 2:23).
Characteristic Yields And Events At The Divine Set-Time
When the full time came for Elizabeth, she gave birth to a long-awaited son and she was clad with manifold joy (Luke 1:57-58). There are various covenant provisions for God’s people, which can only manifest at their appointed times.
At the appointed time, covenant promises are actualized with speedy performance, as it was with the birth of Isaac (Genesis 17:21). Pleasant surprises and incredible miracles spring forth (2 Kings 7:1). And, covenant helpers sprout in their multitudes to build into you the frame of “the host of God” (1Chronicles 12:22).
Again, at the appointed time, the day of salvation dawns with answers to your ancient prayers and heart’s desires, undoing your enemies and showering upon you the rains of divine blessings (Isaiah 49:8; Zephaniah 3:19; Zechariah 10:1). Hence, even angels rejoice together with sons of men, and sing freely of the doings of God (Songs 2:12).
Yes indeed, when the set-time comes, all that is left of the Oppressors — Pharaohs — is mere noise (Jeremiah 46:17). Even the devil becomes helplessly hopeless at your appointed time because of the deluge of your harvest of supernatural favour (Psalms 102:13; Zephaniah 3:20). Alleluia!
Maximizing Your Appointed Time
Reflecting on this all-important subject of divine set-time, kairos is presented in rhetoric as "a passing instant when an opening appears, which must be driven through with force if success is to be achieved". This clearly suggests that we must forcefully latch on to divine timing like David did at Ziglag if we hope to make the most of it (1 Samuel 30:8).
David’s unforgettable encounter with Goliath, which shot him into the hall of fame, is another example showing that he was a master at maximizing divine timing. Never doubt it, enjoying the verdant abundance of God’s kingdom requires some deliberate insistence of faith (Matthew 11:12; 1 Timothy 6:12).
When it’s your kairos time, you must be steadfast, forceful, diligent and obedient to divine commandments in order to maximize it and to fulfill destiny (Deuteronomy 11:13-14). Whenever God's readiness and man's willingness are married together, miracles happen with plenty of the rain of blessing.
Please keep in mind, friends and brethren, that everyone in this world lives and works based on their time zone. As a practical inference, in the same American Federation, New York is three hours ahead of California, but that does not mean that California is slow or lagging. Most emphatic, no!
People around you might seem to have gone ahead of you, and some might seem to be behind you. But, all things being equal, absolutely everyone is running their own race, in their own time. Don’t envy them or mock them. They are in their time zone, and you are in yours! And, even if your races look similar, they are certainly not identical!
Only time can tell what happens tomorrow. Indeed, time is a great humorous innovator! Mr. A may finish up the same year Mr. B matriculated in the same university; but Mr. B may, later in life, occupy a position to employ Mr. A into a very lush international job. Yes, someone may have factually come late, but could still enjoy the gleeful thrill of the latest model very soon!
Life is about waiting for and keying to the right moment to act. Relax, if you are a child of God. No matter the circumstances in which you find yourself, just do very well to maintain your ways before the Lord, and you can always enjoy a guaranteed supernatural timing (Job 13:15).
If you can firmly hold onto Christ, you are never actually late. Your total freedom is there, your appointed harvest is on the way and, sooner than later, you will be divinely satisfied (Hosea 6:11). May you not miss your timing again, in Jesus Name. Amen. Happy Sunday!
- Bishop Taiwo Akinola,
Rhema Christian Church,
Otta, Ogun State, Nigeria.
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