When God Seems Too Late - Joel Osteen

Well, God bless you! It's great to be with you today. I hope you'll stay connected with us throughout the week. We have a daily podcast that you can download. You can go to our YouTube channel and watch the messages anytime, or, of course, you can follow us on social media. I promise you we'll keep you encouraged and inspired. Thanks for tuning in. Thanks again for coming out today.

I like to start with something funny. One day Adam was talking to God. He said, "God, why did you make Eve so beautiful?" God said, "So you would love her." He said, "Well, God, why did you give her such long, flowing hair?" God said again, "So you would love her." "Well, God, why did you give her such a great figure?" God said the same thing, "So you would love her." He said, "Okay, God, you made her so beautiful, so attractive—why did you make her so dumb?" God said, "That's easy, Adam, so she would love you." (Laughter)

Say it like you mean it: This is my Bible. I am what it says I am. I have what it says I have. I can do what it says I can do. Today, I will be taught the Word of God. I boldly confess: My mind is alert. My heart is receptive. I will never be the same. In Jesus' name. God bless you.

I want to talk to you today about when God seems too late.

We all have things 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. It's too late to break this addiction; I've had it so long."

But many times, God waits on purpose until the odds are against us. He waits until the obstacle is too big so that 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 could happen. You're in a 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 thirty years old, when Sarah was in her prime to have a child, or maybe when he was forty years old, a more normal age to have a baby. But He's God. He has everything strategically planned out, down to the smallest details.

It's not like He forgot or 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 until 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 can 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, or 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, Compaq Centers open up. When I speak, addictions are broken, marriages are restored, and 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. But 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 had promised Abraham a child at thirty 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 and think, "That's not for me. No way that can 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 twenty 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, and not-the-normal-time promotions. Promises you've given up on, dreams you've let go of, and goals you’ve accepted as impossible—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, say, "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 one hundred, and Sarah is ninety—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 he'd lost his mind.

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 fifty years younger than us."

She didn't think there was any possible way it could happen.

In 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 Compaq 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? God, You said 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, and divine connections.

Genesis 21 says, "The Lord did exactly what He promised."

Sarah became pregnant and had a son in her old age━and 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, if 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 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've believed, I've expected, and I've seen the goodness of God. But there are plenty of times when 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 is 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, but that's how God planned it. The medical report may not be good. You may have had a setback in your finances. The odds may be against you, but 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 en route. Healing, breakthroughs, the right people—they're already on your calendar. It's going to happen at the time 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 would meet someone this amazing?
Who would have ever thought I'd feel this good again?
Who would have ever thought we would be meeting in the former Compaq Center?
Who would have ever thought my mother would still be with us, forty years after being diagnosed with terminal cancer?
Sarah went from laughing in unbelief, thinking she was too old, to laughing with great joy, holding that baby and seeing the goodness of God.

Some of the promises God has put in your heart may seem like they 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 and saying, "Who would have 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 say if it was going to happen, it would have happened by now. "If I were going to get well, I’d be well by now. If I were going to get a good break, meet the right person, or 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 a husband, a wife, with your name on it?
Don’t be impatient. It hasn’t happened yet because it wasn’t supposed to happen.

"Joel, I’m getting too old. I think I’ve missed my season."

No, you’re coming into your season.

"These people at work 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, and forces of darkness can’t stop it.

Like Sarah, your womb may be dead, so to speak. In the natural, it’s too late. It shouldn’t happen. 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, or that feeling of being stuck.

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.

I talked to a young lady who grew up very healthy and active, but at the age of eleven, she had a pain in her side that wouldn’t go away. She had her appendix taken out, but that didn’t help. She continued to go downhill, losing thirty pounds in a few weeks. The doctors were baffled—they couldn’t figure out what was wrong.

She got to where she couldn’t swallow. She lost movement in her legs and arms. She ended up in the hospital in a vegetative state, not able to open her eyes or communicate in any way. She was finally diagnosed with a rare autoimmune disorder that caused swelling on her brain.

Her parents were told she would be in a coma for the rest of her life, and she probably wouldn’t live that long.

Against all odds, they believed that God was still in control, that He was still a healer. Month after month went by, and they would sit by her bed and talk to her, speaking faith into her.

Two years later, she woke up on the inside. She still couldn’t move, but she was aware of everything that was happening. She could hear the doctors telling her parents that she was gone and that there was no chance of recovery. But she could also hear her mother telling her how much she loved her and how she was going to make it.

Every Sunday, her mother would turn on our program. This young lady would hear how God is a healer and how He can do what medicine cannot do.

In her mind, instead of feeling sorry for herself, she would say, "I’m a victor and not a victim. God is restoring health back unto me."

Thoughts told her, "You’re trapped. You’ll never get out." She would answer back, "No, my time is coming. This is not how my story ends."

It seemed like God was too late. She was in a coma, trapped inside her own body, not able to communicate. But God has the final say.

Sometimes He’ll let the odds be way against you just so He can show His power, His favor, and His blessing in amazing ways.

Three years later, she opened her eyes. That was the start of a long journey back. She learned to speak again, eat again, and move again. Everything came back except her legs.

She was paralyzed from the waist down. She was happy that she was out and grateful to be in a wheelchair, but she wasn’t satisfied. She knew what God started, He would finish. She was told she would never be able to walk, but through prayer, hard work, and training, she defied the odds and took her first steps.

Today, my friend Victoria Arlen can not only walk but she can run. She was on Dancing with the Stars. She’s one of ESPN’s youngest on-air personalities.

Is there anything too hard for the Lord?

Just because it seems like God is too late doesn’t mean He’s not going to come through. Don’t be fooled by the circumstances. You may not see anything. The odds are against you. The experts say it’s not going to work out. But God controls the universe.

Don’t be impatient for Him to act. Keep believing, keep praying, and every blessing that belongs to you will show up. You won’t have to go after it—it’s going to come to you. It’s going to happen at the time God has planned.

In John 11, Mary and Martha sent word to their dear friend Jesus that their brother Lazarus was very sick. Jesus was in another city. They asked if He would come and pray for Lazarus. A day went by, and Jesus didn’t show up. I can imagine Mary asking her assistant, "Did you tell Him it was me?"

"Yes, we told Him."

"Did you let Him know it was urgent?"

"Yes, we did."

Another day passed. He didn’t come. And another. And another. 

Finally, Lazarus died. On the fourth day, Jesus showed up.

What do you do when God shows up too late? You prayed, you believed, but the problem didn’t turn around, the business didn’t make it, your health didn’t get better.

Martha was so upset. She rushed out to meet Him and said, "Jesus, if you would have been here sooner, my brother wouldn’t have died." She was saying, "How could you do this to us? We’re your friends. When we needed you the most, you let us down."

They thought that Jesus didn’t care, that He was too busy, preoccupied with others. But the Scripture says, "Jesus wept."

He could have gone straight to the tomb and raised Lazarus, but His tears let them know that He cared. He wept because He loved Lazarus. He wept because He felt the sorrow and the heaviness they were all feeling.

When God shows up late, thoughts will tell you, "God doesn’t care about you. How could He let this happen? Look at all this pain, this heartache—He could have stopped it."

Don’t believe those lies. The Scripture says, "God collects all of your tears in a bottle." He feels what you feel—the loneliness, the heartache. He weeps when you weep. His heart breaks when your heart breaks.

You’re His child. If you’re a parent, you know that when your child is hurting, you hurt with them. God is your heavenly Father.

He told them to roll away the stone. Lazarus had been dead for four days. Martha said, "Lord, it’s going to stink."

Sometimes you have to get to the stinky stuff before God will heal you. You have to be real and deal with what God is bringing to light.

Jesus spoke to Lazarus. He didn’t pray. Some things you need to pray about, but some things you need to speak to.

He said, "Lazarus, come forth."

All of a sudden, Lazarus came back to life. Mary and Martha were praying for a healing, but Jesus had something better in mind—a resurrection.

Sometimes the reason God delays is because He’s going to do something better than you think—something bigger, more rewarding.

From that day forward, no one ever saw Lazarus the same way. No one saw Mary and Martha the same way. They had a new respect, a greater influence, and greater honor.

Like them, you may be wondering why God is so late. "Why hasn’t my health turned around? When is my business going to get better? When is this trouble going to resolve?"

You’re believing for a healing, but God is delaying because He has a resurrection coming. He has something much better than what you have in mind.

Trust Him when you don’t see anything happening. Believe when heaven is silent. He’s working behind the scenes.

Every blessing that has your name on it—if you will be patient—it’s not only going to find you, it’s going to be much better than you think. The delay is a sign that God is up to something big. It’s a sign that He’s about to show out in your life.

The mistake we make too often is we get discouraged in the delays. We believe those lies that say, "God’s not concerned about us. He would have been here by now. Does He even know what I’m going through?"

The Scripture says, "God sees every sparrow, every bird that falls to the ground."

How much more does God see you? You’re His child. He made you in His image. He calls you a masterpiece.

He sees what you’re going through. He’s concerned, and He’s coming. At the time He has planned, in your due season, you’re going to see breakthroughs, healing, freedom, abundance—more than you’ve imagined.

After Jesus rose from the dead, Peter was out fishing. He’d spent the last few years with Jesus as one of His close friends. He never dreamed it would end with Jesus being crucified.

He was discouraged, a little bit confused, so he went back to doing what he did before Jesus called him. He had fished all night but caught nothing.

The next morning, as they were coming in, Jesus was on the beach. He shouted, "Have you caught anything?"

They didn’t recognize Him. They told Him no. He said, "Throw your net on the right side of the boat, and you’ll catch plenty of fish."

When they did, they caught so many fish that they couldn’t pull it all in. Peter looked over and realized it was Jesus. He jumped in the water and swam to the shore.

When he arrived, he could smell something so tasty, so appetizing—Jesus was cooking fish. He told Peter to sit down and have breakfast with Him. He served him grilled fish.

What Peter couldn’t catch all night, now he not only had a whole boatload of fish, but Jesus had already cooked it and prepared it for him.

When you go through a delay—you’ve fished all night, nothing is working, and you’re wondering where God is—"How come I’m not getting any good breaks?" If you’ll keep doing the right thing, God is not only going to give you an abundance, but you’re going to come into some prepared blessings.

Fish that’s already cooked. Promotion waiting for you. The right people, the business, the healing. You’re not going to have to make it happen or start from scratch—it’s going to fall into place.

I can smell something in the air. I smell fresh fish. I smell prepared blessings.

You’ve had delays. You’re wondering where God is. He’s cooking your fish. He’s got the fire on. He’s about to offer you breakfast, so to speak. You’re about to see what God has been up to.

Don’t be impatient for God to act. Keep honoring Him, and every blessing that has your name on it will come in.

Nobody is getting your fish.

Sometimes, when God is not showing up and we’re not seeing things happen, we feel like we’re falling behind. Others are getting ahead. But God has all the fish that belong to you.

You’ve tried all night, so to speak, and caught nothing. It’s been months, or even years, and you haven’t seen good breaks, promotion, or things turning around. Don’t worry—your fish are being stored up.

He told the disciples to throw their nets on the other side of the boat. That means they’re not far away. You don’t have to do something drastically different. God is going to bless you where you are. He’s going to cause the fish to find you—not a little bit, but a great haul of fish.

You may be in a dry season. Things are not changing. God sees your faithfulness. He hasn’t forgotten about you. He’s going to make up for what hasn’t happened.

Like with Mary and Martha—not a healing, but a resurrection.

I believe and declare: boatloads of blessings are coming your way. Prepared blessings, favor, healing, and the right people.

Like with Sarah, ‘Who would have thought’ blessings. Dreams bigger than you’ve imagined. Problems that look impossible suddenly turning around. The fullness of your destiny.

In Jesus’ name.

If you receive it, can you say amen today? (Amen.)

I’d like to give you an opportunity to make Jesus the Lord of your life. Would you pray with me? Just say:

"Lord Jesus, I repent of my sins. Come into my heart. I make You my Lord and Savior."

If you prayed that simple prayer, we believe you got born again. I’d love to send you some free information on your new journey with the Lord. Just text the number on the screen, or you can go to the website.

I hope you’ll get into a good Bible-based church and keep God first place.