God Waits On Purpose | Joel Osteen

We all have things that we're believing for, dreams to come to pass, problems to turn around. We've been praying, standing in faith, but nothing is happening. Now it seems like we've missed our chance. It's too late to have a baby. It's too late to start my business. Too late to break this addiction. I've had it so long. But many times God waits on purpose till the odds are against us. He waits till the obstacle is too big, so when he turns it around, there won't be any doubt It was his favor, his healing, his power making a way where there was no way. Don't be discouraged when it seems too late. You don't see how it can happen. You're in prime position for God to show out in your life. God told Abraham when he was a hundred years old that he was going to have a baby. Abraham's wife Sarah was barren. She had never had children. Plus she had gone through the change of life. God could have given Abraham this promise when he was 30 years old, when Sarah was in her prime to have a child, or maybe when he was 40 years old, a more normal age to have a baby. He's God. He has everything strategically planned out, down to the smallest details. It's not like he forgot or he miscalculated. Oh, I meant to give them that promise years earlier. Why did I wait so long? God, on purpose, waited for the odds to be against them. On purpose, he waited till they were that age. On purpose, he chose Sarah who was barren, not able to have children. Maybe God has put promises in your heart that seem too late. You don't see how you could get well, how your child can get back on course, how you'll meet the right person. God didn't miscalculate. He didn't accidentally choose the wrong person. God let the odds be against you on purpose. He let it seem like it's too big, too late, too far gone. You're right where Abraham was. A baby when my wife is barren, a baby at a hundred years of age. God let the circumstances seem impossible. Then he said, now Abraham, I'm going to bless you. God doesn't do things on a normal schedule, a normal time frame. He has some unscheduled blessings for you. Things that are out of season, out of the ordinary, that shouldn't happen now. Joel, I'm past my prime. The medical report says it's too late. The financial experts say things should be down. That's when God steps in and says, let me show you who I am. I'm not limited by time. I'm not affected by the economy. I'm not restricted by your age, your background, the opposition, by how long it's been. I control the universe. When I speak, wombs come back to life. When I speak, red seas part. When I speak, sicknesses leave. When I speak, compact centers open up. When I speak, addictions are broken. Marriages are restored. Opportunities show up. When thoughts tell you it's too late, it's never going to happen now, let that go in one ear and out the other. God is faithful. What he promised you is still en route. You may not see any sign of it. Every circumstance says there's no way. Things are happening that you can't see. In the unseen realm, God is moving the wrong people out of the way, lining up the healing, the favor, the good breaks. They're already on your schedule. But here's the key. If you could see how it was going to happen, that wouldn't take any faith. If God would have promised Abraham a child at 30 years old, that would have been great, but that wasn't unusual. God is going to put promises in your heart that are out of the ordinary. Things that seem unlikely, too big, too much money, too much opposition. Now it's up to you what you do with that promise. Are you going to dismiss it? Think that's not for me? No way that could happen now. Me, get well now. Start my business now. Meet the right person now. Do you know how long I've been single? God, where were you 20 years ago? How do you know that God has not waited on purpose? How do you know, like Abraham and Sarah, that God didn't let the odds be against you for a reason? He's saying to you what he said to them. Now, I'm going to bless you. Now, I'm going to heal you. Now, I'm going to turn that child around. Now, at this season in your life, I'm going to cause your business to take off. Why don't you receive that into your spirit? It's not too late. You haven't missed your chance. God waited so he can show out in your life. He wants to make you an example of his goodness. If he did it at a normal time, no one would have noticed. If he did it under ordinary circumstances, it would have been no big deal. Get ready for some unscheduled blessings. Out-of-season increase. Not-the-normal-time promotion. Promises that you've given up on. Dreams you've let go of. You've accepted it's too late to accomplish that goal. Too late to break the addiction. Too late to have a baby. That may be true looking at a normal schedule. You don't see it on there, but God is saying it's still on my schedule. I still have a way to bring it to pass. I wouldn't have promised it if I wasn't going to do it. Now, all through the day, Father, thank you that what you started in my life, you're going to finish. It may seem too late for me, but I know it's not too late for you. Thank you for these unscheduled blessings. Blessings out-of-season. When Abraham heard that he was going to have a child, the scripture says he laughed to himself and said, God, how can I become a father at the age of 100? And Sarah is 90. How can she have a baby? It was so far out that it was almost comical. Abraham didn't tell Sarah anything about it. He knew she would have thought that he had lost his mind. But not long after that, Sarah overheard three men talking with Abraham. They said by this time next year, Sarah will have a baby. When she heard that, she nearly passed out. She did like Abraham. She laughed and said, God, how could an old woman like me have a baby? Plus my husband is an old man. She was saying if you think I'm bad, you should see my husband. God, you found the wrong couple. You showed up too late. You better find someone 50 years younger than us. She didn't think there was any possible way it could happen. Verse 13, God said, Abraham, why did Sarah laugh? Why did she say can an old woman like me have a baby? Is there anything too hard for the Lord? Sometimes God puts promises in our heart that are so big, so unlikely. It's almost funny. All we can do is laugh. God, you want me to step up and pastor the church and I've only ministered one time? God, you're saying we're going to get the compact center. Have you seen how big the opposition is? You're saying I'm going to lend and not borrow. Have you seen my finances? Do you know we're in the middle of a pandemic? Oh God, you say my children will be mighty in the land. Have you seen what they've been doing lately? Are you sure you have the right children? God is saying to you what he said to Abraham. Is there anything too hard for the Lord? He spoke worlds into existence. He parted Red Seas. He cured the lepers. He brought the dead back to life. What you're up against is no match for him. One touch of his favor and you'll see promotion, healing, breakthroughs, divine connections. Genesis 21 says the Lord did exactly what he promised. Sarah became pregnant and had a son in her old age. The next phrase is the key. It all happened at the time God said it would. God on purpose waited for them to be older. On purpose he waited for the odds to be against them. So much so that they both laughed. They both thought it was impossible. You would think God would say, okay fine, if you don't believe, if you don't think it's going to happen, you think it's too far out, I'll find someone else. But God is so merciful. Even when we don't believe, even when our faith is limited, God steps in and says I'm going to do it anyway. I'm going to show you a favor anyway. I'm going to heal you anyway. I'm going to turn it around anyway. I know sometimes I've released my faith. I believed I've expected and I've seen the goodness of God. But there are plenty of times where I didn't have the faith. I thought it was too far out. I thought the opposition was too big, but despite my lack of faith, God showed out in my life. That's how good God is. If he only blessed us when we believed, we wouldn't reach our destiny. Like with Abraham and Sarah, God's going to do exactly what he promised at the time he has planned. It may seem too late, but that's how God planned it. It may look impossible, that's how God planned it. The medical report may not be good. You had a setback in your finances. The odds are against you. That doesn't stop our God. You haven't missed your chance. The window hasn't closed. An unscheduled blessing is coming. An out-of-season promotion is already in route. Healing, breakthroughs, the right people, they're already on your calendar. It's going to happen at the time that God has planned. Sarah said in verse 7, who would have ever thought I would have a baby at such an old age? God has some of these who would have ever thought blessings lined up for you. Who would have ever thought my business would take off like this? Who would have ever thought I'd meet someone this awesome? Who would have ever thought I'd feel this good again? Who would have ever thought we would be meeting in the former Compact Center? Who would have ever thought my mother would still be with us 40 years after being diagnosed with terminal cancer? Sarah went from laughing in unbelief thinking she was too old to laughing with great joy, holding the baby, seeing the goodness of God. And some of the promises that God has put in your heart may seem like it can't happen now. It's too late. You tried and it didn't work out. It's still on the schedule. It hasn't happened yet for a reason. It wasn't the right time. Like with Sarah, one day you're going to be holding that baby, so to speak, holding that promise saying who would have ever thought God would have blessed me like this. You're going to stand in amazement at what God has in your future. Now quit believing those lies that if it was going to happen, it would have happened by now. Come on, if you were going to get well, you'd be well by now. If you're going to get that good break, meet the right person, write that book, surely it would have happened by now. Look how long it's been. Psalm 37 says don't be impatient for the Lord to act. Keep traveling steadily along His path and in due season, He will honor you with every blessing. This is saying if you'll keep doing the right thing, then everything that has your name on it is coming in. There's healing with your name on it. There's a business with your name on it. There's a baby with your name on it. Or how about there's a husband, a wife with your name on it. Don't be impatient. It hasn't happened yet. It wasn't supposed to happen. Well, Joel, I'm getting too old. I think I've missed my season. No, you're coming into your season. Well, these people at work, they turned on me. They always leave me out. They were supposed to leave you out. It's not setting you back. It's setting you up. Keep honoring God and every blessing that has your name on it is coming in. People can't stop it. Bad breaks can't stop it. Age can't stop it. Time can't stop it. The economy can't stop it. Forces of darkness cannot stop it. Like serum, your womb may be dead, so to speak. In the natural, it's too late. It shouldn't happen now, but God knows how to bring a dead womb back to life. He can bring dead dreams back to life. A dead relationship, dead finances, dead health, not feeling well. When it's your time to give birth, God will resurrect everything you need to see that baby. Not only your womb, but he'll wake up the Abrahams, the people you need to fulfill your destiny.