The old saying “Timing is everything!” is often invoked when someone says or does something at just the right moment. Timing is what makes a great joke. Timing is what every quarterback needs when he makes a long pass. Timing allows a boxer to slip punches behind his opponent’s guard. Timing is what makes an engine run.
We Baptists sometimes fail to appreciate timing. We pride ourselves on being “people of the book.” Nearly every Baptist group tends to prioritize truth over timing. Right is right, and the time is now. Let God be true and every man a liar. There is no wrong time to do the right thing.
I find myself wanting to shout “amen!” even as I type these statements. I have heard them so often from the pulpit and have said them countless times in my own preaching ministry. How many times have you heard exhortations like these? Don’t wait! Don’t put it off! Tomorrow may be too late!
When it comes to the salvation of a man’s soul, these exhortations are appropriate. But does everything have an instant expiration date? Is everything as urgent as the reconciliation of a sinner to the Savior? No, there are things that can and should wait.
Even good things? Things that are right and expected? Yes, many just and proper actions also have a timing aspect. You can do the right thing at the wrong time and pay dearly for it.
There are things people need to know, but they are simply not ready to hear them yet. Christ plainly told the apostles He had many things to tell them, but they were not ready to hear them yet.
Paul wanted to give the church at Corinth much-needed strong doctrine. Due to their immaturity, he had to continue feeding them spiritual milk. The writer of Hebrews said as much — many of them should have been teachers by now but were still on baby food(Heb. 5:12).
Every mother agrees you can’t give a toothless baby a piece of ribeye steak for lunch. Yes, the steak contains protein and other essential nutrients we all need to live. But a baby isn’t developed enough to eat it. This is a simple example of offering the right thing at the wrong time.
When we try to give an immature church a strong biblical diet, they can’t handle it either. This oft-repeated disaster plays out when a young preacher enters an old church expecting them to receive and respond to a truth they have never been taught. They are not ready for it. They didn’t graduate from seminary, their former pastor never taught it, and this young whippersnapper soon needs to find another church.
This scenario plays out differently if the pastor considers timing and truth. He knows what they need, but he can’t dump a truckload of it in the pews and get away with it. He must patiently wait for the right timing and deliver the dose, one little bite at a time.
There are times when you must deliver hard truth and hope for the best. When timing says we act now, or we are sunk, you act. If the boat is sinking and you find the missing plug, don’t plan a six-week series on leaky vessels. Put the plug back in! But if the plug is in and the water is only seeping in, bail water while you teach that series. And don’t you dare tell them their old leaky boat needs to be replaced.
I find it easier to discern what to teach and when. The hard part for me is deciding when to take action. When do I draw my sword and declare this a hill to die on? Old Caleb is right: “Let us go up at once, and possess it; for we are well able to overcome it” (Num. 13:30).
Both doctrine and duty have their proper timing. When to act is as important as what to teach. Consider the account of Joab and Abishai murdering Abner while David was trying to unite Israel after Saul’s death. In 2 Samuel 3, Joab was clearly guilty of cold-blooded murder, and David, as king in Hebron, should have had him executed.
David lamented his weakened condition in 2 Samuel 3:39: “And I am this day weak, though anointed king; and these men the sons of Zeruiah be too hard for me: the Lord shall reward the doer of evil according to his wickedness.” Recognizing he wasn’t in a position to carry out justice, David handed the matter over to God.
It was David’s son Solomon who ultimately carried out God’s vengeance upon Joab in 1 Kings 2. In God’s timing, Joab’s punishment helped further solidify Solomon’s kingdom. It would no doubt have further divided David’s fledgling kingdom if it had been done at the wrong time.
So how does a person know when to act and when to wait? The simple answer is to ask God. Even when the path seems obvious, ask God for direction. After the walls of Jericho fell, Joshua assumed that the neighboring city of Ai would be no match for Israel. He sent only a few thousand men to take the small city. The Israelite army was beaten back because of the sin of one man and his family.
When it comes to God’s timing, put Him in charge of the clock. Jonathan and his armor bearer did exactly that when they delivered Israel from the Philistines. In 1 Samuel 14:8-10, they made themselves available for battle but let God decide whether and where they would fight.
If it’s right, it’s always right. But it’s not up to you to right every wrong. God may have a purpose in delaying your actions. Whether He sends you an army or leaves you alone to face the enemy, His timing is everything.
