When God Resets the Calendar

Devotional

Day 1: God's Calendar Over Our Plans

Sometimes, our carefully laid plans can feel disrupted, like a calendar being reset. This can be disorienting, but it often signifies a divine redirection. When God intervenes in our timelines, it's not to thwart our desires but to orchestrate a greater purpose. Embracing these resets with faith allows us to align with His perfect timing and discover the beauty of His unfolding plan for our lives. [47:39]

Acts 1:7-8 (ESV)
And he said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

Reflection: When you reflect on a time when your plans were significantly altered, what was your initial emotional response, and how might that response have differed if you had viewed it as a divine reset from the beginning?

Day 2: The Power of Expectant Waiting

The command to "wait" is not passive idleness but an active posture of expectation. It's about remaining in a place with a hopeful mindset, anticipating a promised event. This kind of waiting is rooted in the assurance that God's promises are true and worth every moment. It calls us to trust in His faithfulness, even when the timeline stretches longer than we anticipate, fostering a spirit of hope rather than frustration. [51:46]

John 14:26 (ESV)
But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.

Reflection: In what specific area of your life are you currently in a season of waiting, and how can you cultivate an attitude of expectant hope rather than anxious frustration during this time?

Day 3: God's Promises Are Sure and True

We serve a God whose word is steadfast and whose promises are unfailing. Unlike human promises that can be broken or forgotten, God's declarations are "yes" and "amen." When He speaks a promise, a vision, or an instruction, we can stand assured of its fulfillment. Looking back at His track record reveals a consistent faithfulness that builds our confidence in His ability to bring to pass all that He has spoken. [58:29]

2 Corinthians 1:20 (ESV)
For all the promises of God find their Yes in him. That is why it is through him that we utter our Amen to God for his glory.

Reflection: Recall a time when God's promise to you felt uncertain or delayed; what specific aspect of His character or past faithfulness can you focus on to strengthen your belief in its eventual fulfillment?

Day 4: Understanding God's Timeless Perspective

Our human understanding of time is often linear, marked by beginnings and ends. However, God exists outside of time, viewing it as a continuous present. He doesn't operate on our minutes and hours but on His own divine "Kairos" moments – the opportune and critical times for His purposes. Learning to perceive time as a process, rather than a rigid schedule, allows us to align with His eternal perspective and embrace His divine appointments. [01:04:19]

Psalm 90:4 (ESV)
For a thousand years in your sight are like yesterday when it is past, or like a watch in the night.

Reflection: How might shifting your perspective from measuring your spiritual life in minutes or hours to focusing on the process of communion with God change your daily devotional practices?

Day 5: Embracing Divine Resets for Greater Purpose

When God "resets our calendar," it's not a setback but a setup for His greater plan. These divine interventions rescue us from our limited vision and guide us toward His redemptive purposes for the world. Our waiting periods are not wasted but are fertile ground for spiritual growth, deepening our roots in Him and preparing us for His appointed time. By aligning with God's timing, we step into the greatest adventure of all. [01:17:31]

Philippians 1:6 (ESV)
And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will continue it until the day of Jesus Christ.

Reflection: Consider a current situation where you feel God is "resetting your calendar"; what specific aspect of His vision for the world can you focus on to help you see this disruption as a divine appointment rather than a delay?

Sermon Summary

Acts 1 provides the hinge for a meditation on divine timing and the posture required in seasons of delay. After reading Luke’s account of the forty-day post-resurrection appearances and Jesus’ charge to “wait” in Jerusalem, attention shifts to the Greek nuance of perimeno—remaining with expectant resolve rather than passive impatience. The distinction between Kronos (chronological, human time) and Kairos (God’s appointed, opportune moment) becomes central: human plans often sprint along a linear timetable, but God’s purposes unfold as processes that refine character, deepen roots, and expand vision from a national restoration to a global redemption. Personal examples of planned trajectories being reset—education, career, relationships, and the struggle to conceive—illustrate how apparent setbacks function as divine reordering rather than mere delay.

The assurance of Jesus’ promises anchors the call to patient readiness: the promise of Holy Spirit empowerment in Acts 1 is presented not as conditional speculation but as certain fulfillment, demonstrated in Acts 2. Cultural illustrations (non-Western understandings of “when” and the biblical picture of God outside time) sharpen the argument that waiting should be a sacred, preparatory discipline—an intentional season of prayer, rooting, and communal encouragement rather than anxious pushing. The negative example of Saul’s premature action at Gilgal warns of the spiritual cost when impatience overrides obedience; conversely, the disciples’ upper room posture models the posture of being ready when God’s Kairos breaks through.

The conclusion presses for a reformation of schedules and souls: submit plans, ambitions, and calendars to God’s authority; learn to measure seasons by processes and preparatory work rather than mere minutes and years; grow into maturity so that when the prophetic “go” arrives, readiness matches opportunity. Waiting is reframed as fertile, formative time—one that readies people for the greater scope of God’s redemptive agenda. The congregation is urged to embrace sacred waiting, to encourage one another in faith, and to stand expectant for the promised movement of the Spirit.

Key Takeaways

1. Wait with expectant, steadfast faith Waiting (perimeno) is not passive boredom but a disciplined posture of hopeful expectancy; it involves intentional remaining, sustained prayer, and readiness for the promised event rather than anxious maneuvering. This kind of waiting recalibrates desires to God’s agenda and preserves obedience until the appointed fullness arrives. It trains the will to trust God’s fidelity in the interim and prepares the heart for empowerment. [50:17]
2. Jesus’ promises come to pass Scriptural promises, when spoken by Christ, are portrayed as definitive and covenantal rather than hypothetical; the declaration “you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit” carries the weight of enacted history in Acts 2. Remembering God’s track record steadies faith during delays and reframes unmet timelines as part of a larger certainty. Faith’s task is to rest on the veracity of divine speech, not on immediate visible proofs. [56:08]
3. Choose Kairos over Kronos timing Kairos refers to God’s opportune moment—a qualitative, appointed rupture in human schedules—whereas Kronos reduces life to measurable units and often pressures premature action. Aligning with Kairos requires seeing life as processes and purposes rather than deadlines, and learning to perceive when a moment has spiritual gravity beyond the clock. This reorientation shifts priorities from hurried ambition to patient participation in God’s unfolding work. [72:08]
4. Waiting cultivates deep spiritual roots Seasons of delay are the ground in which roots grow deep; they purge superficial motives, teach dependence, and form maturity that will withstand future winds. Rather than wasted time, these seasons are formative processes that prepare a person for sustained fruitfulness and faithful testimony. Community, prayer, and Scripture serve as the soil amendments that make waiting fruitful rather than frustrative. [79:46]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[43:59] - Turning to Acts 1
[44:29] - Luke’s opening and context
[45:07] - The ascension and the command to wait
[47:39] - Topic: When God resets the calendar
[50:17] - Perimeno: expectant waiting explained
[56:08] - Promise of Spirit baptism affirmed
[59:11] - Personal testimony of resets
[63:18] - Ancient concepts of time
[72:08] - Kairos versus Kronos
[75:46] - Saul’s impatience, a warning
[80:58] - Call to sacred waiting and readiness
[84:11] - Prayer of surrender
[90:06] - Benediction and dismissal

Bible Study Guide

Here is a Bible study guide based on the sermon summary and transcript:

Bible Reading

Acts 1:4-8 (ESV)
"And while staying with them he charged them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father, which, he said, 'this is what you have heard from me; for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.' So when they had come together, they asked him, 'Lord, will at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?' He said to them, 'It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.'"

Observation questions

Jesus commanded the disciples not to leave Jerusalem but to "wait for the gift my Father promised." What does the sermon suggest this word "wait" (perimeno) truly means, beyond just passive waiting? [50:17]
The sermon contrasts two ways of understanding time: Kronos and Kairos. How does the sermon describe Kronos time, and how does it describe Kairos time? [01:12:08]
The sermon mentions Saul's impatience at Gilgal as a negative example. What was the consequence of Saul's premature action? [01:15:46]
The sermon states that "waiting is reframed as fertile, formative time." What does the sermon suggest this waiting time is used for in our lives? [01:19:46]

Interpretation questions

The disciples asked Jesus if he would "at this time restore the kingdom to Israel." [45:48] How does Jesus' response, "It is not for you to know times or seasons," redirect their focus from a human-centered timeline to God's plan? [46:07]
The sermon highlights that Jesus' promises, like the baptism of the Holy Spirit, are certain. [56:08] How does remembering God's past faithfulness help us trust His promises during seasons of waiting?
The sermon uses the analogy of playing checkers versus chess to describe the disciples' understanding of time versus Jesus' understanding. [01:12:48] What does this analogy reveal about the difference between human-focused plans and God's broader purposes?
The sermon suggests that "when God resets your calendar, he's not trying to ruin your life. He's trying to rescue it from your limited vision." [01:18:57] How can apparent setbacks or "resets" actually be God's way of protecting us or guiding us toward a greater purpose?

Application questions

The sermon defines *perimeno* as waiting with "expectant resolve rather than passive impatience." [50:17] Think about a current situation in your life where you are waiting for something. How can you shift your posture from passive boredom or anxiety to expectant resolve?
The sermon shares personal examples of God "resetting the calendar" in areas like education, career, and relationships. [47:39] Can you identify a time in your life when God seemed to reset your plans? How did that experience, in hindsight, prepare you for something else?
The sermon contrasts *Kronos* (chronological time) with *Kairos* (God's opportune moment). [01:12:08] How can you begin to discern God's *Kairos* moments in your life, rather than just focusing on the ticking clock of *Kronos*?
The sermon emphasizes that waiting cultivates deep spiritual roots. [01:19:46] What specific practices (like prayer, community, or scripture) can you intentionally engage in during seasons of waiting to deepen your roots in God?
The sermon warns against Saul's impatience, which led to disobedience and a loss of his kingdom. [01:15:46] In what areas of your life might impatience be leading you to act outside of God's timing or commands?
The sermon encourages us to embrace "sacred waiting" and to encourage one another. [01:20:58] How can you actively encourage someone else in your small group who might be in a season of waiting or facing a "reset" in their life?
The sermon concludes by urging us to align our lives with God's calendar and to be ready when God says "go." [01:21:27] What is one concrete step you can take this week to submit your plans, ambitions, and schedule more fully to God's authority?

Sermon Clips

``The disciples, and I think sometimes we are like the disciples. We may be walking with the Lord. We may be pursuing good things in our life. Restarting our career, our family, the relationships. We have our plans. But are your pursuits, is your attention and focus in line with God's agenda for your season of life? Are you subjecting your life to the ruling of Kronos? [01:14:01] (28 seconds) #AlignWithGodsAgenda

Are your responses to waiting on God filled with trust and expectation? Expectation? Or are we filled with anxiety, complaining, and worrying? Are you still playing drafts when God is calling you to the more complex, complicated understanding of chess and where you are on the board and which move he's about to make, I'm told master chess players can see three and four moves in advance. [01:14:29] (34 seconds) #WaitWithExpectation

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When God Resets the Calendar | POWER TO BEGIN