God’s Time and the Time We Set (20th Anniversary Service)

Through the story of Jesus healing a sick man on the Sabbath and the event in which Jacob wrestles with God and has his name changed, this passage deals with the difference between God's time and the time we set. The sick man at the pool of Bethesda clung to ‘my time,’ based on his own experience, and turned away from Jesus' immediate healing, while Jacob was changed from a weak man who ran from his brother in fear into one who struggled with God and prevailed.

We often have an attitude of dealing with God according to our own plans and schedule, already fixed, rather than waiting for his answer. Because of this we put off obedience and delay sharing the gospel, and in the end we are in danger of going home spiritually empty-handed. God knows our weakness and waits patiently, yet when we try to stay in the time we have set for ourselves, we end up in the contradictory situation of missing out on greater grace.

What choices must we make so that, through prayer, we open God's heart, experience the power of the Holy Spirit, and live with a firm faith that rises above the fears of the world?