God’s Perfect Timing?

   

Words have meaning. This is the basis of all communication.

As a pastor, one of my callings is to communicate. That means I want to be thoughtful about the words I use, because words can either clarify or confuse. My goal is always to communicate clearly about God and what it means to follow Jesus.

That’s not always easy. People have different levels of understanding, and the level of precision changes depending on the context. I don’t use the same theological precision in a sermon or a blog post as I would in an academic paper or lecture. Preaching and writing devotionally aim for clarity, not footnotes.

Recently, I was reminded how important word choice is. I was with a group of pastors, and we were sharing sermons and series ideas. I shared my series on Nahum: The Justice and Comfort of God. The big idea of one sermon, drawn from Nahum 2, was:

God will not let injustice stand forever—He brings down the oppressor in His perfect time.

One of the pastors asked me about that phrase “in His perfect time.” It’s a fair question. Because when you are the one experiencing oppression, abuse, or violence, God’s delay doesn’t feel perfect. It feels like abandonment.

That question pushed me to wrestle with the language I chose to use. Is “perfect” really the right word to describe God’s timing?

The Tension of God’s Timing

I wrestled with this thought in the first sermon of the series. Nahum 1:7 declares:

“The LORD is good, a refuge in times of trouble. He cares for those who trust in Him.”

That’s a beautiful promise. But it’s also hard to believe when life isn’t good. When you are being oppressed. When hardships stack up. When there seems to be no end in sight to the violence and oppression that you are experiencing.

If you lived under the Assyrian Empire, a people known for their brutality, you probably weren’t saying, “God is good.” You were wondering, “Where is God?”

That’s the tension of faith. God is our refuge—not because He shields us from every evil, but because of His promises to rescue, restore, and provide. His covenant love means He is faithful to His people even when circumstances scream otherwise. Finding refuge in God is like finding a cave in a storm: the rain and the wind don’t stop, but you are sheltered because you know that the violence and abuse are not the final word. Yet, even as I type this I recognize how flimsy a promise is when you are in the midst of hardship and trouble.

At the same time, Nahum 1:3 reminds us:

“The LORD is slow to get angry, but His power is great,

and He never lets the guilty go unpunished.”

That slowness is good news when we are the ones in the wrong. But when we are the victims of evil, we want God to act quickly. This creates a tension: God’s patience feels like delay, even neglect.

So when I say, “God brings down the oppressor in His perfect time,” I don’t mean it’s easy or comfortable or aligned with our schedules. I want to communicate the reality that: God’s timing is purposeful, trustworthy, and at just the right time. 

In the back of my mind, when I wrote the sermon, I had Romans 5:6, “For while we were still helpless, at the right time, Christ died for the ungodly” (CSB), in mind. So, it was this sentiment that I wanted to communicate when I chose to use the word “perfect.”

Why “Perfect” Still Fits

I’m open to rethinking words if they don’t serve well. But here’s why I think perfect is still the right word for God’s timing.

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1. Perfect reflects God’s character.

God is holy, just, and wise. Everything He does flows from His perfect nature—including when He chooses to act.

What looks to us like slowness, delay, or silence is not a mistake on God’s part. He knows more than we do. He sees the end from the beginning. He acts with perfect knowledge and wisdom.

The psalmist affirms this:

“As for God, His way is perfect” (2 Sam. 22:31; Ps. 18:30).

2. Perfect captures God’s patience and justice.

Nahum reminds us that God did not act on a whim. He gave Assyria time to repent. The prophet Jonah preached to Nineveh a century earlier, and they did repent—for a while. But their repentance did not last, and they returned to violence, idolatry, and deceit.

God’s judgment on Nineveh was not impulsive. It was deliberate. From our perspective, it may have felt too late. From God’s perspective, it was the right moment—when His justice would be unmistakable, and when His people would be delivered.

Peter says it this way:

“The Lord is not slow in keeping His promise, as some understand slowness. Instead, He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.” (2 Pet. 3:9)

God’s delay is not neglect—it’s mercy. But when the time comes, justice is certain.

3. Perfect offers comfort to believers.

Those who suffer under oppression need to know that God has not forgotten them. His timing may not align with ours, but He is never late.

Paul reminds us that God acted in history “at just the right time”:

“You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly.” (Rom. 5:6)

God’s timing in salvation is the ultimate model of perfection. Christ came at the moment chosen by God—neither too soon nor too late. If His timing was perfect in bringing salvation, we can trust His timing in bringing justice.

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Living with the Tension

None of this makes suffering easy. The Psalms of Lament are filled with cries of “How long, O Lord?” They give voice to the frustration of waiting. They remind us that God welcomes our questions and even our protests.

And yet, many of those same psalms end in trust:

“But I trust in your unfailing love;

my heart rejoices in your salvation.

I will sing the LORD’s praise,

for he has been good to me.” (Ps. 13:5–6)

The laments teach us how to hold tension. We can cry out honestly, even desperately, while also affirming that God’s love is unfailing and His ways are good.

That’s why I still believe perfect is the right word. Not because God’s timing feels perfect to us, but because it flows from His perfect character and leads to His perfect purposes.

Trusting God’s Perfect Will

Nahum’s message is heavy: the downfall of Nineveh, a city of violence and deceit. But woven through the judgment is hope: God sees, God cares, and God acts. His justice is never absent, even when it feels delayed.

For us, the cross of Jesus is the ultimate picture of both judgment and mercy. At the cross, God’s justice fell on sin, and His mercy was extended to sinners. The timing of that event was not random—it was perfect.

If God’s timing was perfect at the cross, then I have to believe that it was perfect when God finally brought judgement to Nineveh.

So when I say, “God brings down the oppressor in His perfect time,” I am not denying the pain of waiting. I am affirming the deeper truth: that God is sovereign, wise, and good. His timing may not feel perfect, but it cannot be improved upon.

Final Thought

Laurie Braaten, in his commentary on Nahum (New Beacon Commentary: Nahum-Malachi) wrote:

“God’s people are called to live as though God’s justice prevails now, and trust that if not now, then in the final judgment the oppressors will receive their deserved punishment and the people of God will be vindicated.”

That’s the call for us: to live as though God’s justice is already here, even as we wait for its fullness.

Words matter. And I still believe perfect is the right word to describe God’s timing, because God’s will and God’s timing flow from His perfect love, His perfect wisdom, and His perfect justice.

So let’s keep trusting, even in the waiting.