Sometimes, praying “Not my will, but Yours,” is only the first step. At least, that’s how it was for me.

I remember being in my early twenties and wanting desperately to find a godly man and get married. I spent hours and hours writing in my journal and praying to God for my future husband. I fought bridesmaid’s envy time and time again as I stood beside my friends in their weddings. I wondered and doubted and wavered and rebounded year after lonely year until, at last, I met my husband, Jason.

For me, the desire to be married wasn’t an issue of reconciling my will with God’s. I knew that my desires were in alignment with His. The issue was timing. I wanted to be married now. He wanted me to wait. And so I had to muster up the faith and trust to pray something even more difficult for me than “Not my will, but Yours.”

I had to pray, “Not my timing, but Yours.”

Sometimes, submitting to God’s timing can be so difficult. I can’t help but to think about Abraham and Sarah. They wanted to have a child, and God promised that it would happen. But then time passed, and they grew older. And with time came doubt. They began to wonder if they had heard God incorrectly. Maybe He had forgotten about them. Maybe they misunderstood. Maybe they were supposed to help God out a little.

They had submitted to His will; they just hadn’t submitted to His timing.

“Not my timing, but Yours.”

When you whisper these simple five words, you submit yourself to an intangible, eternal clock in which a second can last for years and a lifetime can disappear as quickly as a blink.

Suddenly, time transforms from a logical, linear, predictable pattern into something more random and less understood: divine chaos.

It’s not true chaos in the sense that nothing makes sense and everything is out of order. It’s divine chaos in that nothing appears to be in order, but everything is actually unfolding perfectly according to God’s divine plan.

When you pray, “Not my timing, but Yours,” you acknowledge that:

• God is never late.
• God is never early.
• God is always right on time.
• You will defer to God’s timing, knowing that it is best.

Sometimes, however, submitting to God’s timing can leave you feeling a little lost, like maybe your whole life is on hold until the miraculous moment in which God finally says, “Now.” When we’re waiting on God’s perfect timing, we sometimes become like little children sitting in the backseat of a car asking God, “Are we there yet?” with every turn. That kind of response can make for a very long journey.

How then should we wait?

1. Patiently (Psalm 40:1)
We should rest in His plan so much that we are enjoying the Now. God does not just hold tomorrow and yesterday in His hands. He holds today in His hands as well. Are you enjoying today? There is a time for everything, so be careful not to miss the blessings He has for you today.

2. Expectantly (Psalm 5:3)
That being said, be ever mindful that He is working behind the scenes. Expect Him to move. Expect Him to move you. Keep your eyes so focused on Him that when He finally does move, you will not hesitate.

3. Unconditionally (Psalm 38:15)
Don’t put conditions on waiting. Many times we’ll give God a certain time limit, and if He doesn’t move within those parameters, we assume He’s not going to move at all. When you pray, “Not my timing, but Yours,” don’t hang your personal clock on the wall next to God’s and compare time zones.

4. Actively (Psalm 130:5)
One of the best things you can do as you wait on God is to wait on God. It sounds circular, but remember that there are two different definitions of “to wait.” One implies sitting quietly, not doing anything until an appointed time. The other implies serving someone; to wait on someone as a waitress serves her customers. You can and should wait on (serve) God as you wait on Him.

I’ve never met anyone who’s ever regretted waiting on God’s timing for her life. Instead, I’ve met plenty of people who have rushed or delayed the plans He had for them and wished they had done it differently.

So as you submit to God’s will, submit to His timing also. All it takes is five little words: “Not my timing, but Yours.”

Q: Have you ever prayed, “Not my timing, but Yours”? Describe a time when God acted earlier or later than you wished, and what did it teach you?

Read the entire 5-word prayers series

Introduction to 5 Word Prayers
1. Not my will, but yours
2. Not my timing, but yours
3. Not my day, but yours
4. Not my reason, but yours
5. Not my stuff, but yours
6. Not my way, but yours
7. Not my job, but yours
8. Not my glory, but yours