I recently stayed at a motel that offers free breakfast. You never know exactly what that means, since the definition of “breakfast” differs from one motel to the next. I was pleased to find a nice selection of tasty options. My favorite was the do-it-yourself waffles. I usually hesitate to take on that kind of a project myself. My wife is so much better at that kind of thing. However, she was not available to help me, so I bravely read the directions on the waffle-maker and attempted to make my own breakfast.

The timer on the waffle-maker was set for two-and-a-half minutes. By following directions to the letter, I had a perfect waffle in two minutes and thirty seconds. If I had to decide on my own how long to cook it, the waffle may have been far from perfect. I might have impatiently taken it out too early, only to find it gooey and uncooked on the inside. If I had become distracted, say by pouring my coffee, I might have ended up with a burnt waffle. By trusting the timer, everything worked out fine.

Sometimes we find ourselves questioning God’s timing. We think that we aren’t ready for the opportunity that has presented itself. Or, more often, we wonder if God has forgotten about a need or desire that we have been praying about.

We need to trust God’s timing. A friend of mine used to say, “God is seldom early, but never late.” I have found this to be true. We may not understand God’s timing until later—perhaps not until eternity—but we must believe that he will ultimately accomplish what he intends to bring about. And he will do it in his perfect timing.