That plane isn't going to drop right out of the sky!

If you are anything like me, you sometimes forget that God never (and I mean never) goes back on his promises. Sometimes we get so caught up in the 'delay' between the promise and seeing it realized in our lives that we get a little wigged out with God because there is such a 'gap' between the beginning and the ending. The truth of the matter is that there is meaning in the delay - while we may not understand or fully appreciate it, God is at work. God isn't hindered in his ability to fulfill the promise - but we may be hindering him a little by our reluctance to trust!

O Lord, I will honor and praise your name, for you are my God; you do such wonderful things! You planned them long ago, and now you have accomplished them, just as you said! (Isaiah 25:1 TLB)

The other day I saw a plane at what almost appeared to be a total 'stand-still' in the sky. While I know this is impossible, the movement was ever so slight. In researching why this 'appearance' is given to those of us standing on the ground, it has to do with our point of reference. Our distance from that aircraft in the sky is still quite great and we have a decreased ability to fix our eyes on a reference point because of where the plane is in reference to our line of sight. The appearance is one of no movement, but the truth is that the plane is in a very specific movement pattern just above the 'stall' speed which will be required at the time of touchdown. 

There are times when we lose our reference when looking at what God is doing to fulfill a promise in our lives. We don't have a good fix on that reference point and therefore we believe he is not moving. We find ourselves wondering if the plane of our lives will drop right out of the sky! Will that promise stall all together and plummet headlong into oblivion, never to be seen or heard from again? Not likely, because God has the 'perfect speed' being maintained to ensure the delivery of the promise, it is more our perception of the delay that is the issue!

The approaching plane's pilot has much to do in order to deliver that plane safely to the gate. There is the whole control of speed, pitch, and descent rate. The flaps will be lowered, the gear down, and the attitude of the plane's nose will be slightly changed, but the plane is not going to stall in mid-air. Why? The pilot is in control! He knows the plane and he knows the specifics of each part of it, thereby rendering it safely into the 'landing zone' at the appropriate time and speed. Too fast and those on the plane may be injured, or the plane may break apart upon landing. Too slow and the plane will land where it is not supposed to!

There is much to be said about God's timing, but nothing remains truer than this - we lose sight of our reference point, or fail to actually have one, a great deal of the time. God isn't delaying the delivery of the promise as much as he in insuring it is delivered within the right timing, speed, and 'attitude' so as to ensure we come to enjoy it exactly as we should! We are likely going to think he has 'stalled' in the delivery, but he is just asking us to trust him a little longer. Just sayin!