Remembering that God’s timing is perfect

By Davidia Sydney

I, a short-term contracted employee, was sitting there at my desk looking at dozens of new permanent workers coming into the job positions that I have been praying and applying for. It’s hard to explain how heavy it feels. I keep applying, keep pushing, keep praying and still nothing. Meanwhile, it looks so easy for everyone else.

And then, to make things harder, one of my friends recently got into a new role that he’s enjoying a lot more than his old one. He was smiling from ear to ear as he told me all about it. How great his new coworkers were, how much he’s learning, all the new opportunities he was getting because of it. I smiled and encouraged him, and I was truly happy for him, but honestly, it hurt a little. I walked away happy for him, but sad for myself.

That was when the spiral began. All the questions, all the sadness, all the weight of wondering when it would finally be my turn. I broke down and called my mom.

Through tears, I said, “It feels like it’s never my turn. I know I’m supposed to trust God’s timing, and I really do in my heart, but in my head, I don’t understand it. Why is everyone else being blessed right now and not me? Why are they happy and not me?”

My mom listened. I was only expecting to vent and get it out, I wasn’t expecting for her to truly make me feel better, because honestly, I didn’t think anything would make me feel better in that moment. I was wrong. My mom reminded me of some powerful stories of God’s timing, protection, and presence. Stories that shifted my perspective. I want to share them with you because maybe you are in the same boat as me and need to hear it as well.

1. Footprints in the Sand

There’s a story of a man who had a dream. He was walking along the beach with God, and scenes from his life flashed before him. For every moment, he saw two sets of footprints, his and God’s.

But in the lowest, saddest parts of his life, there was only one set of footprints. Hurt and confused, he asked, “God, why would You leave me when I needed You most?”

God replied, “My child, I never left you. In those times, when you see only one set of footprints, I carried you.”

That story always hits me because it’s a reminder that even when I feel abandoned and alone, God is closer than ever.

2. The Cow and the Hole in the Wall

My mom also reminded me of a story of when a poor man once gave God the best room in his home. Later, his cow, the very animal he relied on to feed his family by selling milk, died. Meanwhile, a rich man gave God a shabby basement to stay in, and God patched up a hole in his wall.

The poor man was heartbroken. “I gave You my best, yet You took away my livelihood. Why?”

God explained, “The Angel of Death came for your wife, but I spared her life and took the cow instead. As for the rich man, the hole in his wall was hiding treasure he did not deserve, so I blocked it.”

That story shook me. Sometimes, what looks like loss is God’s mercy. Sometimes, His protection feels painful in the moment.

3. The Little Girl Walking Home

One night, a little girl was walking home alone. She felt terrified as a man stared at her from across the street. She prayed the whole way home.

The next day, she saw on the news that the same man had attacked another girl that very night. When asked why he hadn’t harmed the first girl, he said, “I couldn’t. She had a strong man walking beside her.”

But there was no man. That strong presence was Jesus.

4. The Car Crash

Another story mom reminded me of that always gave me chills is the story of a woman and her young son getting into a terrible car crash, which, by the looks of it, they shouldn’t have survived. She crawled out of the wreckage in panic, searching for her son. Moments later, firefighters found him sitting safely on the roadside.

When asked how he got there, he calmly said, “The nice man helped me out and told me to sit here until my mom came.”

There was no one else around. That “nice man” was Jesus.

5. Held at Gunpoint– A Personal Story

Someone I know personally, we’ll call him B, once went to pick up a friend after a party. When B arrived, the party wasn’t finished yet, so B decided to make a quick trip. Along the way, he picked up three young men who later turned a gun on him.

They forced him to kneel in the backseat with his hands on his head while one of them drove his car. Terrified, he prayed desperately. Out of nowhere, a police car pulled them over. The three men got out and ran, but B was safe.

That night could have ended in so many ways that I don’t want to even think about. Real tragedy, but God intervened.

6. The Missionary Story

Another person I know, we’ll call her M, is a missionary. On one of her church trips overseas, she and her female friend were driving when a man pulled up on a motorcycle and aimed a gun at them. But the gun jammed.

Still shaken, they went on to visit the woman they had come to pray for. When they finished, the woman asked, confused, “Where is the man who came in with you?”

There was no one else. That man was God, their unseen protector.

7. My Own Past

And then my mom said something that made me pause, “What about your own life?”

She reminded me of the countless times God held my hand and walked me through situations. At the time, I felt just as confused and lost as I do now; it’s only looking back that I see the connections. I see why I needed to be there to get to where I am now. The prayers I thought He ignored but later realised He had answered in ways far better than I imagined. So, I need to have faith that He will continue to work things out for me. Have faith that I will one day see the reasons why I need to be here right now.

So, Why Not Now?

If God could do all of that, carry, protect, guide and save, why wouldn’t He be working now?

Maybe the blessing I’m waiting for is taking time because it’s bigger than I can imagine. Maybe what looks like a delay is protection. Maybe what looks like other people “winning” isn’t winning at all, it’s just God patching up holes we can’t see.

Life isn’t a race. We’re all on our own journeys. And truthfully, I don’t even know if the people who look like they’re winning are. None of us knows what’s going on in anyone else’s life.

So, here’s my challenge to you, (and myself): take a moment and think about your own life. Think of the times God guided you, protected you, or turned situations around for you. Even the simplest thing as waking up each morning is a blessing, remember that, because we have no idea of the evils lurking outside our door as we sleep and wake peacefully. God is working on things in our lives that we aren’t even aware of. Remember how past blessings felt, because if He did it before, He will absolutely do it again.

Trust His timing. It’s so much greater than ours