Recognising the Markers of God’s Timing
- Bukola aanuskincare@gmail.com
- Aug 25
- 7 min read
Introduction: The Hidden Language of Timing
God’s timing doesn’t always come with clear dates on a calendar. More often, it is signaled through markers, moments that look ordinary, disruptive, or even painful but actually carry divine significance.
Abraham, Mary, David, Moses, and Esther each stepped into destiny not because they controlled timing, but because they recognised the markers and made the right move. Sometimes God gave direct instruction. Other times, He allowed need, conflict, loss, or opportunity to reveal that the time had come.
Abraham: The Father Who Knew When to Move
Abraham’s covenant journey reveals both instruction and recognition.
Direct instructions:
“Go from your country…” (Gen. 12:1) → he left.
“Walk before Me and be blameless…” (Gen. 17:1) → he circumcised his household that very day.
“Take your son, your only son…” (Gen. 22:2) → he obeyed early the next morning.
Recognised markers:
Strife with Lot (Genesis 13): The land could not sustain both their flocks. Rather than fight, Abraham discerned it was time to separate. That very moment, after Lot departed, God reconfirmed His promise of land. Conflict was not a problem, it was a timing marker.
War of the Kings (Genesis 14): When Lot was taken captive, Abraham could have ignored it. Instead, he mobilised 318 men, rescued him, and met Melchizedek, king of Salem, priest of God Most High. A family crisis became the timing marker for divine connection and blessing.
Covenant at Beersheba (Genesis 21): After a dispute over wells, Abraham secured covenant with Abimelech and planted a tamarisk tree. What looked like a resource fight was really the time to secure water rights for generations.
Sarah’s Death and Machpelah (Genesis 23): Perhaps the clearest marker. Abraham did not plan to buy land. But when Sarah died, he recognised that burial was the moment to secure inheritance. What looked like loss was actually God’s timing for him to stake the first legal claim in Canaan. He paid in full, and Machpelah became the generational anchor where the patriarchs and matriarchs would rest.
Hospitality at Mamre (Gen. 18): Three men appeared ordinary → Abraham perceived their divinity, hosted them → timing of Isaac’s promise.
Intercession for Sodom (Gen. 18): God revealed judgment → Abraham recognised it was a cue to intercede.
Securing Isaac’s Wife (Gen. 24): Isaac unmarried, Abraham old → Abraham acted to secure covenant continuity.
Remarriage to Keturah (Gen. 25): Old age but promise of nations still active → Abraham acted to extend legacy while protecting Isaac’s inheritance.
Abraham shows us: timing markers often hide in conflict, crisis, or loss. What looks like closure may actually be covenant advancement.
Mary: When Need Reveals Timing
At Cana (John 2), the wine ran out. To most, it was a hospitality crisis. To Mary, it was a timing marker. Like Abraham at Machpelah, Mary did not orchestrate the timing, she recognised it in the circumstance.
Jesus replied: “My hour has not yet come.” But Mary pressed on. She told the servants: “Do whatever He tells you.” What looked like shortage became the timing for His first miracle.
Mary shows us: need can be a timing marker. Lack, shortage, or embarrassment may be the sign God is about to reveal His glory.
David: Markers on the Road to Kingship
David was anointed, but it took years before he reigned. His path was marked by timing cues:
Goliath (1 Sam. 17): Crisis was the marker. His move was boldness → public recognition.
Saul’s jealousy (1 Sam. 18–19): Opposition was the marker. His move was fleeing → preservation.
Cave of Adullam (1 Sam. 22): Outcasts gathering was the marker. His move was leadership → training an army.
Opportunities to kill Saul (1 Sam. 24, 26): Premature opportunity was the marker. His move was restraint → proof he understood timing.
Death of Saul and Jonathan (2 Sam. 1): Loss was the marker. His move was mourning, then stepping into kingship.
David shows us: different markers require different responses - courage, restraint, waiting, or stepping forward.
Moses: Timing in Crisis, Curiosity, and Transition
Moses’ life also reveals timing markers:
Birth in crisis (Ex. 2): Pharaoh’s decree was the marker. His parents hid him → preservation.
Burning bush (Ex. 3): A strange sight was the marker. He turned aside → encounter and calling.
Red Sea (Ex. 14): Being trapped was the marker. His move was obedience → miraculous transition.
Water from the rock (Ex. 17; Num. 20): Need was the marker. His obedience mattered; wrong response at Kadesh cost him entry.
Transition to Joshua (Deut. 31): God’s word was the marker. His move was laying hands → smooth succession.
Moses shows us: timing markers may appear as crisis, curiosity, or leadership transitions, but each requires fresh obedience.
Esther: For Such a Time as This
Esther’s rise hinged on timing markers.
Exile & orphanhood (Esth. 2): Loss was the marker. Hiddenness prepared her positioning.
Finding favor with Hegai (Esth. 2:9): Favor was the marker. She yielded to counsel → crowned queen.
Haman’s decree (Esth. 3): Crisis was the marker. Mordecai’s charge revealed the moment.
Fasting (Esth. 4): Preparation was the marker. She aligned before acting.
Approaching the king (Esth. 5): Risk was the marker. She stepped forward → favor opened.
Two banquets (Esth. 5–7): Patience was the marker. She waited for the right moment to speak.
Purim (Esth. 9): Victory was the marker. She established memorial for future generations.
Esther shows us: timing markers can be crisis, fasting, courage, patience, or remembrance. Recognising them can shift nations.
Welcoming the Month of Elul: Recognising the Markers
We now step into the month of Elul on the Hebrew calendar. Elul is a month of return, reflection, and preparation, a bridge between what has been and what is about to unfold in the new year.
In Jewish tradition, Elul is described as the time when “the King is in the field.” God draws near, inviting His people to seek Him, align their hearts, and prepare for what is next.
Elul itself is a timing marker. It signals that divine reset is near, that hidden things are being brought into alignment. Just as Abraham discerned the burial of Sarah as a marker for inheritance, Mary discerned shortage as the marker for miracle, David discerned caves and giants as markers for kingship, Moses discerned a burning bush as a marker for calling, and Esther discerned crisis as a marker for national deliverance, we too are invited to discern the markers in our lives this month.
Ask yourself:
What prophetic markers reveal what God is doing in this season?
Where is He asking me to realign my steps?
What circumstances in my life carry hidden timing for God’s next?
Elul reminds us that timing is not only about what God is doing in the heavens, but also about how we align on earth. The King is near. The markers are present. Will we recognise them?
Closing Reflection
The stories of Abraham, Mary, David, Moses, and Esther remind us that God’s timing is rarely linear. It often hides in need, conflict, loss, opportunity, or hiddenness. The key is not controlling the clock but recognising the markers.
As we walk through Elul, may our eyes be opened to what God is highlighting. May we act with faith when it is time, wait with patience when it is not, and anchor our inheritance in every season.
“Lord, open my eyes to the markers of Your timing. Teach me to discern Your cues in life’s circumstances. Give me faith to act, patience to wait, and wisdom to align with Your appointed time.”
Prayer Points, Journaling Prompts, and Declarations
Prayer Points
Lord, give me discernment to recognise when conflict, loss, or crisis is not an obstacle but a timing marker.
Teach me to see endings as invitations to stake inheritance.
Open my eyes to ordinary moments that conceal extraordinary encounters.
Strengthen me to act with courage when You say “go,” and with patience when You say “wait.”
Help me obey fresh instructions rather than repeating old methods.
Show me when hiddenness is preparation, not rejection.
In this month of Elul, align my steps with heaven’s rhythm and open my eyes to the markers in my own life.
Journaling Prompts
Where have I experienced conflict, loss, or disruption recently? Could these be timing markers?
What “losses” in my life might actually be invitations to stake new ground?
Where am I currently facing a “giant,” and what step of faith might it require?
Am I in a “cave” season of hiddenness? How might God be using it to prepare me?
Have I been tempted to move ahead of God’s timing? How can I choose restraint and trust?
What “burning bushes” might I be overlooking because they seem too ordinary?
Where is God asking me to fast, prepare, or align before acting?
What markers in my personal circumstances right now could be pointing toward God’s “next” for me?
Declarations
I am a covenant child; I will not miss my timing markers.
What looks like loss will become the ground for my inheritance.
My lack will become the stage for God’s abundance.
Every cave is my training ground, not my grave.
I will not seize premature opportunities, I will wait for God’s appointed time.
Hiddenness is preparation, not rejection.
I am positioned “for such a time as this.”
In this month of Elul, I will align with God’s timing and territory.
The King is in the field; I draw near with expectation.
If this word has spoken to you, I’d love to hear from you. Share your reflections in the comments, or let me know what timing markers you are discerning in your own journey.
If it encouraged you, please like, share, or send it to someone who needs this reminder today.
And if you’d like to explore these themes more deeply for your life, work, or leadership journey, feel free to get in touch with me through Transformative Co. I’d be honored to walk alongside you.
Comments