Are We Landing or What??? 

Have you ever been on a plane, looked out the window, and thought, “Are we landing or what?” I mean, you know the pilot already came over the speaker with that calm voice. “Ladies and gentlemen, we’ve started our final descent.” And you’re thinking, “Wonderful. Let’s get this over with.” But then five minutes pass. Then ten. Then fifteen. And from your seat, it feels like that plane is just gliding through the sky at the speed of a Sunday afternoon nap. You keep looking out the window, then back at your watch, then back out the window again like somehow your staring is going to help the plane move along. Meanwhile, the whole time, that plane is still moving fast. It may not feel like it from your seat, but it is still covering ground, still descending, still heading exactly where it is supposed to go.

That got me thinking about waiting on the Heavenly Father’s timing. Sometimes life feels like that final descent. You know God said He is bringing something to pass. You know He gave you a promise. You know He is leading you somewhere. But from your seat, it feels like things are moving slowly. You keep looking around. You keep checking the clock. You keep wondering, “Lord... are we landing or what?” That is why Habakkuk 2:3 (NIV) is such a needed reminder:

“For the revelation awaits an appointed time; it speaks of the end and will not prove false. Though it linger, wait for it; it will certainly come and will not delay.” 

Now that verse is interesting because it sounds like a contradiction at first.

“Though it linger...”

“...it will not delay.”

How can it seem slow and still be on time? Because what feels slow to us is not slow to God. What feels delayed from our seat is still moving according to heaven’s schedule. That plane may look like it is barely moving, but it is still moving with purpose. And the same is true when the Heavenly Father is working in our lives. Just because it looks slow from your seat doesn’t mean God’s plan isn’t moving. Sometimes we think if we cannot see quick results, then nothing must be happening. But the truth is, God can be moving in ways we cannot measure.

He may be aligning people. Opening doors. Closing wrong ones. Protecting us from something we cannot see. Preparing us for what we prayed for. Working in us before He works around us. And while all of that is happening, we are sitting there asking, “Lord, are we landing or what?”

Let’s be honest.

Waiting can be uncomfortable. We like movement we can see. We like progress we can measure. We like prayers answered on our timeline, not heaven’s. But just like a passenger does not control the descent of the plane, we do not control the timing of God. The passenger does not see everything the pilot sees. The passenger does not know the wind conditions, the runway traffic, or what is happening in the control tower. The passenger just has to trust that the person in charge knows what he is doing.

That will preach right there.

Because one of the hardest parts of faith is trusting the Heavenly Father when we do not have cockpit information. We are in seat 18B trying to figure out what is going on, while God is fully in control of the whole flight. He knows the timing. He knows the path. He knows when to descend. He knows when to hold steady. And He knows how to get us where we need to be.

So if you are in a season where it feels like things are taking longer than you expected, do not assume God is inactive. Do not assume He forgot. Do not assume the promise got lost somewhere in the clouds. The vision still awaits its appointed time. It speaks of the end and will not prove false. Though it lingers, wait for it. That means do not jump up out of your seat in panic. Do not grab for control that was never yours. Do not mistake slow for stuck. If God said it, He will bring it to pass. And when His timing comes, it will be right. Not rushed. Not late. Right.

So maybe today you are looking at a prayer, a promise, a situation, or a season and wondering, “Lord, are we landing or what?” Can I encourage you? Keep trusting. Keep waiting. Keep believing. The descent may feel slow, but the plane is still moving. And so is God’s plan.

Next Step

Take a moment today and think about one area of your life where God’s timing has felt slow. Be honest with the Heavenly Father about your frustration, your questions, and your desire to see movement. Then read Habakkuk 2:3 (NIV) again and remind yourself that what feels like lingering is not necessarily delay. Stay seated. Stay trusting. God is still bringing you in.

God bless you, God keep you. God loves you and I love you too!