In a prophecy about the Babylonian Captivity, Lehi introduces a phrase which will appear multiple times in the Book of Mormon:
After they should be destroyed, even that great city Jerusalem, and be carried away captive into Babylon, according to the own due time of the Lord, they should return again.
1 Nephi 10:3, italics added
Nephi uses the phrase to explain that we will eventually have access to additional sacred texts (1 Nephi 14:26), including the sealed portion of the Book of Mormon (2 Nephi 27:10, 21). The Lord assures Enos, Mormon, and the brother of Jared that their writings will become available in His own due time. (See Enos 1:16, Mormon 5:12, Ether 3:24, 27.) And the Savior uses this phrase to describe the timing of the gathering of Israel (3 Nephi 20:29; see also 3 Nephi 5:25).
The phrase doesn’t appear in the Bible, but the concept of trusting the Lord’s timing is pervasive. For example:
- Jesus tells His disciples on one occasion that He will not accompany them to Jerusalem, because “my time is not yet come” (John 7:6, 8).
- Paul writes, “Let us not be weary in well doing, for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not” (Galatians 6:9).
- Peter gives us the following advice: “Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time” (1 Peter 5:6).
There are two words in Greek for time: chronos (χρόνος), which refers to chronological time, and kairos (καιρός), which means the appropriate time for an activity or event. All three of the passages above use the term kairos, to describe the right time for something to happen.
We are often in a hurry. Once we are convinced that something needs to happen, we want it to happen now. But God, who knows all things, recognizes not only what must happen but when. That’s why Elder Neal A. Maxwell taught that faith in God includes faith in His timing. (See “’Lest Ye Be Wearied and Faint in Your Minds,’” General Conference, April 1991). He suggested that we learn to say not only, “Thy will be done,” but also, “Thy timing be done.” (See “‘Plow in Hope,'” General Conference, April 2001).
Trust in God’s timing not only helps us develop patience, it can also give us hope. Elder David A. Bednar recently gave tribute to the millions of people who quietly do their duty, without fanfare and without any expectation of recognition. He particularly recognized those who, because of circumstances beyond their control, are unable to participate fully in the gospel. He said, “I promise your personal anguish will be relieved, and your obedience and faithfulness to patiently submit your will to God will be rewarded in ‘the own due time of the Lord'” (“In the Path of Their Duty,” General Conference, October 2023).
Today, I will trust God’s timing. I will recognize that there are appropriate times for all good things, and I will try to do the right things at the right times. I will trust that His promised blessings will all come in His “own due time.”