Beloved, do you need God to do something for you right now–and you get frustrated when He takes His Own sweet time to get it done? If so, I want to encourage you today with this word, because in the Kingdom one moment can change everything.

So often, we get concerned when we do not see progress.

If we don’t get what we want (or what we ask God for) immediately, then we start to worry, thinking that the thing we asked God for is not happening.

OR, in some cases, we might be okay with not seeing the totality of our request immediately–but we at least want to see steady progress toward the goal. And, if we do not see steady progress toward the goal, we start to worry.

But what we don’t realize is that one moment can change everything:

• One moment concentrating on the presence of God can change everything; and
• One moment of His power even as you’re going about your day can also change everything.

Let’s look at both kinds of situations.

I can’t even tell you how many times I have experienced a touch of God when alone with Him that has changed everything for me about that moment.

With this type of moment, I’m talking about either:

• God bringing me comfort in one moment; or
• God touching my heart and healing some sort of hurt or wound in that moment; or
• God speaking a word to me about something that was going to come to pass, or some promise that He would fulfill.

And in those moments, so many times, He has touched my heart so deeply that He removed the pain. He has helped me forgive, has healed my heart, or has reassured me about His covenant with me to the degree that I suddenly knew all was well … even if I had been eaten up with anxiety before.

That is one kind of moment that can change everything.

And if you are suffering from any past hurt, any worry or care, or even any doubt or unbelief, getting alone with the Lord and pouring your heart out to Him about that thing invites Him to help you. That’s why He told us in Philippians chapter 4:

“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:6-7 NKJV).

One moment of intimate communion with the Father can change everything in your heart.

But one moment can also change everything in your external circumstances, and I believe you need to hear that today.

Perhaps you’ve been waiting and praying and claiming the promises of God over your situation. You’ve sought God first, seeking His Kingdom and His righteousness, knowing and believing that He will add ALL that you need to you, in accordance with Matthew 6:33:

“But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you” (Matthew 6:33 NKJV).

You’ve done everything you know how to do, including resting in the Lord. You’re in full faith. But, still the temptation is to think that, if you STILL don’t see results, then nothing is actually happening.

But THAT could not be further from the truth.

See, God’s Word tells us that we frequently have to do this little thing called “waiting.” 🙂

He tells us to wait on Him, and to be of good courage, and that He will strengthen our heart while we do:

“I would have lost heart, unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait on the Lord; be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart; wait, I say, on the Lord!” (Psalm 27:13-14 NKJV).

And He tells us that He renews our strength while we wait:

And that, somehow, waiting produces character growth in us:

“My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing” (James 1:2-4 NKJV).

But, that waiting sure can be difficult sometimes.

It’s difficult because you have to crucify the flesh every moment. You have to continually remind yourself that God is good, and He is faithful, and that His Word is true; and that waiting does not equal denial.

You also have to continuously take every thought captive to the obedience of Christ:

“For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:3-5 NKJV).

But I want to remind you today that, while you’re doing all that waiting, your wait may not stretch in front of you as long as you think it will.

Think about how many times in the Bible God interrupted a period of waiting with a sudden resurrection, a sudden answer, or a sudden miracle that came out of nowhere:

• Mary and Martha buried their brother Lazarus after Jesus did not arrive before Lazarus died … even though they knew Lazarus was sick. Then, BOOM! Sudden and literal resurrection, and it was to the glory of God.
• The apostles and other believers in the early church met in the upper room after Jesus’ ascension, praying and waiting, and then BOOM! Suddenly, Jesus poured out His Holy Spirit, baptized them all in His Spirit and power, and the church was born. His promise was suddenly fulfilled!
• The widow of Zarephath was about to fix her last meal so that she and her child could die. But then, suddenly, BOOM! A prophet showed up on her doorstep and promised her that her food would not fail if only she would cook a meal for him.

Look at this incredible story of what God did for both Elijah AND the widow:

“Then the word of the Lord came to him, saying, “Arise, go to Zarephath, which belongs to Sidon, and dwell there. See, I have commanded a widow there to provide for you.” So he arose and went to Zarephath.

And when he came to the gate of the city, indeed a widow was there gathering sticks. And he called to her and said, “Please bring me a little water in a cup, that I may drink.” And as she was going to get it, he called to her and said, “Please bring me a morsel of bread in your hand.”

So she said, “As the Lord your God lives, I do not have bread, only a handful of flour in a bin, and a little oil in a jar; and see, I am gathering a couple of sticks that I may go in and prepare it for myself and my son, that we may eat it, and die.”

And Elijah said to her, “Do not fear; go and do as you have said, but make me a small cake from it first, and bring it to me; and afterward make some for yourself and your son. For thus says the Lord God of Israel: ‘The bin of flour shall not be used up, nor shall the jar of oil run dry, until the day the Lord sends rain on the earth.’”

So she went away and did according to the word of Elijah; and she and he and her household ate for many days. The bin of flour was not used up, nor did the jar of oil run dry, according to the word of the Lord which He spoke by Elijah” (1 Kings 17:8-16 NKJV).

What an incredible story!

There were two ‘suddenlies’ in that passage:

• The widow of Zarephath got a sudden word from the Lord that also resulted in sudden and extended provision for herself and her son (and eventually also saved her son’s life when he got sick and Elijah raised him from the dead); and
• Elijah, who needed food, water, shelter, and provision, suddenly got it when he went where God told him to go.

Both of these ‘suddenlies’ happened after long periods of waiting for all involved. They were waiting on the Lord, not always seeing hope–at least not in the case of the widow of Zarephath. But suddenly, God showed up.

And friend, I believe the Lord wants you to hear this today:

One moment can change everything for you too.

Your answers have already been dispatched. If you’ve prayed in faith, God has already said ‘yes’ to your prayer. Look at Mark 11:

“So Jesus answered and said to them, “Have faith in God. For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says. 

Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them” (Mark 11:22-24 NKJV).

And I know you may not see it yet, but your answer could come SUDDENLY while you are eating dinner today. It could come while you’re in the middle of brushing your teeth. It could come in the middle of the night, and you wake up only to find that a miracle occurred. You could get a sudden text message while you’re on your way to work, or home from work, this very day.

‘Suddenlies’ happen every day in God’s Kingdom.

We do not always understand God’s timing. We may not realize why He makes us wait and what good it does for Him to do so. And it might be discouraging when we pray and pray and pray and see NO–I repeat, NO–progress.

But that doesn’t mean that God is not working. A favorite method of His is to do most or all of His work behind the scenes, and then SUDDENLY pop it out to public view and dump it in your arms.

And beloved, I want to encourage you today to know that the “hasn’t happened yet” is not a permanent situation. Your answer could show up in one moment. One moment can change everything: in one second you’re brushing your teeth, and the next second an $8,000 surprise bonus shows up from your job as a thank you for your good work.

God can do anything at any time.

We humans, in our own fleshly powers, generally need to make continuous progress in order to reach a goal. But GOD does not work the same way. He does not have to create things out of foundational elements; He created all that you see out of nothing, with merely His spoken word.

We have to understand that God is first and foremost concerned with the state of our heart, so He spends His time working on that. Then, when He is good and ready and the time is right, He SUDDENLY manifests your breakthrough out of nothing:

• No resources of your own;
• No apparent progress that you have been able to see so far;
• No signs that your breakthrough would occur in this moment.

No warning, without precursors, and suddenly HERE is the work of God.

That’s how God works, beloved. And it’s just one of the many reasons why one moment can change everything.

Do not be discouraged today, friend.

Delay does not equal denial. The lack of visible progress does not mean that your answer will not come. It will come. God will keep His promises. Faithful is He Who promised, and He will deliver to you all that His Word says He will do.

Did you need to hear this message today? If so, leave a comment below.