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“For there is a proper time and procedure for every matter…
Surely no one knows the future…”
Ecclesiastes 8:6a, 7a (NET)

Dear ones, as you look ahead at the new year, take some time to reflect on your life and ministry. What needs to stay the same? What needs to change?

One of the most important things to consider is how you can stay tuned in to God’s timing.

Every great accomplishment involves timing.

A successful football catch requires incredible timing between the quarterback and the receiver. In business, good timing in the market, trends, and with customers—particularly decisions about hiring and expanding—can mean everything. If you sing, you know how important it is to keep in sync with the other musicians.

Surfers understand this too.  You probably remember that when I became a Christian, I was deeply involved in surfing…and since then have surfed in Florida, California, and Hawaii. No surfer says, “Let’s go make some waves today.” Surfers can’t create waves in the ocean. Only God can do that. Surfers wait for the waves that God creates.

That means surfers spend a lot of time waiting. Sometimes they might see a wave and let it go, knowing it’s not the right time. Then the surfer sees just the right wave, starts paddling faster and faster, catches the wave, rides the wave, and gets off the wave without wiping out. Surfing looks easy, but it requires a lot of skill and patience.

The same is true for your ministry. You must develop the skill of timing. 

The Bible says in Ecclesiastes 8:6a, 7a, “For there is a proper time and procedure for every matter…Surely no one knows the future…” (NET)

There’s a rhythm to life. Learning to do the right thing at the right time takes skill. 

Christians often call that skill “walking in the Spirit.” The more you grow as a Christian leader, the better you get at walking in the Spirit. Sometimes God’s Spirit leads you to run fast. Sometimes he leads you to walk slowly.

Folks, don’t enter this new year trying to make your own waves. 

Instead, learn to see and catch the waves God is making all around you.

This is a truth that is essential in almost all we do…and a truth I am learning to apply every day!