Can God Really Help You?

One of my biggest faults in life is impatience. Once I make a decision I want to see results immediately. This has never been truer for me than with weight loss. Whenever I came to the conclusion that I really needed to lose weight, it suddenly became urgent. I couldn’t bear to think that it might take some time. I always wanted to start as soon as possible, be really strict and see instant results. Of course this rarely happened and I very quickly became discouraged and gave up all together.

The most common scenario for prompting weight loss would be an upcoming event or holiday. I would work out how many weeks I had; expect to lose two pounds per week and begin dieting. I usually fell in the first week, so I would resolve to start again the following week, recalculating my possible weight loss. This went on until the event or holiday was virtually upon me. Usually I had not managed to lose any weight and it then seemed too close to be worth bothering, so I just gave up.

The second most common scenario for me would be a change in the weather. This would mean digging out the different seasons clothes, only to find that they didn’t fit. This was an even more urgent situation as I really did need to lose the weight immediately, preferably before morning. Obviously this was impossible, so again I just gave up. I would then go to buy some clothes, to be faced again with my weight gain as I had to buy a bigger size. I would then further resolve to go on a diet, beginning immediately, or rather after I had been for a coffee to console myself. By the time I left the shop I had usually given up again, realising that it could not be done immediately.

So many times in my life I have been overwhelmed by an urgency to lose weight immediately, only to give up when faced with the hopelessness of it all.

When we ask for God’s help we have to be prepared to accept his timing. I have found this to be true in all of the areas of my life that God has helped me with. It isn’t easy though. I don’t suppose that it has ever been easy, but in today’s ‘instant’ world it seems particularly difficult. We are so used to getting things quickly; in fact we are encouraged to expect it. We have twenty four hour shops and twenty four hour internet access to just about everything. We expect repair men to come out immediately, doctors and dentists to give us an appointment straight away. Travel is quicker. I have just come back from a holiday in Cornwall. When I was a child I remember setting off at 4am and spending all day travelling. Now we speed along the motorways and the journey takes half the time. However, our children find that too long!

We expect God to fit into our timing expectations. The thing with God is; he does things his way, according to his timing not ours. I find this infuriating, or at least I did until I came to understand that he was always right. You see, time as we know it is our creation, not God’s. God created today, but we are the ones that break it down into hours, minutes and seconds. We also gather days together to make weeks, months and years. God doesn’t do this. God is outside time as we know it, he is eternal. The Bible tells us that to God a thousand years is as a day and a day as a thousand years. He doesn’t work within time as we have determined it. God is a God of the present, he is with you in the moment, and at that moment he is focused on you. At this very moment, as you read this, God is right beside you and he is working in your life according to what is best for you at this very moment in time. With his eternal perspective he understands your needs at this time. You may think that you know what they are, but he knows better. He is working for your good even if it doesn’t feel like it.

The Bible is full of stories of people who had to wait for God’s timing. Abraham was promised a son, but had to wait for many years. Both David and Joseph were promised great things from God, but had to wait years to see their fulfilment. In fact, pretty much every major character in the Bible had to do some waiting. God always used that time to strengthen and develop them.

I realised that if God was going to help me lose weight, then I had to surrender to his timing. I had to accept that he would do the work that needed doing in me to cure the problem, but it would be on his timetable, not mine.

Why does God do this? Why doesn’t he just wave a magic wand of some sort and solve the problem instantly? Actually, sometimes he does. I know of people that have been instantly delivered from problems, including eating disorders. However, he doesn’t usually do this. The reason for this is that our problems often have multiple layers to them. Sometimes we are unaware of the problems on the lower layers because they have been covered up for so long. God gently peals back the layers, one by one, and deals with each issue in turn. Often the lower layers consist of the more hurtful and sensitive issues. If he goes too quickly we may not be able to handle it. He knows us intimately and he knows how to help us. That is why we have to surrender to his timing.

Being a naturally impatient person I have frequently tried to resist God’s timing. However, I found to my cost that it didn’t make any difference. God still worked in his own timing; I just made myself miserable along the way. He took no notice of my strops; he just got on with the job in hand.

As I have mentioned previously, God has dealt with a lot of issues in my life. I have usually found that one day I have suddenly realised that the work is finished, it is no longer a problem and I have victory in that area of my life. Often, with hindsight, I can see how he worked it all out and how the timing was right. Occasionally, however, I have been left a little bemused as to why that particular day. One thing I have always realised though is that it has always been for my good. 

I have been on a long journey with God. Out of it all, one of the best pieces of advice I can give to you is to surrender to his timing. Don’t fight him on it. God wants to help you lose weight and he will. He will do it in the way that is best for you, to give you permanent victory and set you free. He probably will not do it as fast as you would like, but it will be worth waiting for.