We’re obsessed with speed. Honestly, if a page takes more than two seconds to load, most of us are ready to throw the phone across the room. But there’s this old-school, almost spiritual concept of letting things happen in his time, a phrase that has echoed through centuries of literature, music, and theology. It's about surrender. It's about the uncomfortable reality that we aren't actually the ones holding the stopwatch.
Patience is a hard sell in 2026.
The Real Meaning Behind the Phrase
When people talk about something happening in his time, they’re usually referencing a specific kind of divine timing. It’s not just a platitude your grandma says when you lose your job. It’s a philosophical framework. Historically, this stems from Ecclesiastes in the Hebrew Bible—specifically the idea that there is a season for every activity under heaven.
Think about it.
The phrase suggests that there is a pre-ordained rhythm to life. Whether you’re religious or just someone who looks at the universe and thinks "Man, there’s a lot going on here," the sentiment remains the same: you can’t force the flower to bloom before the sun is ready.
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Why We Struggle with This Today
Psychologically, humans hate uncertainty. We crave agency. In the early 2000s, psychologists like Dr. David Meyer studied "task-switching" and the pressure of the digital age, finding that our constant need to control outcomes leads to massive spikes in cortisol. We want the promotion now. We want the relationship fixed tonight.
Living in his time requires a total rejection of that frantic "hustle culture." It’s basically saying, "I’ve done the work, now I’m stepping back."
That’s terrifying for a lot of people.
I remember reading a piece by the late theologian Eugene Peterson, who wrote extensively on "A Long Obedience in the Same Direction." He argued that most significant human growth doesn't happen during the peaks, but in the waiting. It’s in the quiet, frustrating gaps where nothing seems to be happening. But stuff is happening. Deep roots are growing. You just can't see them because they're underground.
Real Examples of Timing Gone Right (and Wrong)
Let's look at some historical context. Take the story of William Wilberforce. He spent decades—literal decades—trying to abolish the slave trade in the British Empire. He faced defeat after defeat. He could have quit. He could have tried to force a political coup. Instead, he worked within a slow, grinding process, believing that the moral arc of the universe would bend toward justice in his time. He finally saw the bill pass just three days before he died in 1833.
That’s the definition of trusting the process.
On the flip side, look at the dot-com bubble of the late 90s. Everyone was trying to get rich overnight. Companies with no real product were going public for billions. They weren't waiting for a sustainable business model; they were trying to bypass the natural time it takes to build a foundation. When the clock finally struck midnight, the whole thing collapsed.
The Music of the Waiting Room
You've probably heard the song. "In His Time" became a massive anthem in the 1970s, written by Diane Ball. It’s a simple melody, but it struck a chord because it tapped into a universal human anxiety: the fear that we’re falling behind.
- "In His time, in His time... He makes all things beautiful in His time."
It’s been covered by dozens of artists, from Maranatha! Music to local church choirs globally. Why does a song from fifty years ago still get played? Because the pressure to "make it" hasn't gone away—it’s actually gotten worse with social media. We see a 22-year-old on TikTok with a mansion and feel like we've failed because we're 35 and still renting.
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Actually, the "beautiful" part of that lyric is the most important. It doesn't say "He makes all things efficient." Beauty takes time. An oak tree takes eighty years to reach maturity. A microwave dinner takes three minutes. Which one would you rather have in your front yard?
Science, Stoicism, and The Pivot
Even if you strip away the religious layers, the "in his time" mindset aligns perfectly with Stoicism. Marcus Aurelius talked about the "logos"—the rational order of the universe. He believed that fighting against the natural timing of events was like trying to swim upstream in a waterfall. You’re just going to get tired and drown.
Modern neuroplasticity also backs this up. Our brains need downtime. They need periods of inactivity to consolidate memories and solve complex problems. This is called the "Default Mode Network." When we stop forcing an answer and let things settle in his time, our subconscious often delivers the solution we were looking for all along.
What Most People Get Wrong
The biggest misconception? That waiting in his time means being lazy.
Nope.
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It’s not an excuse to sit on the couch and wait for a bag of money to fall through the ceiling. It’s about "active waiting." You plant the seeds. You water the dirt. You pull the weeds. But you don't scream at the dirt to grow faster.
Actionable Steps for the Impatient
If you feel like your life is on pause, or you’re waiting for a breakthrough that won't come, here’s how to actually apply this concept without losing your mind:
- Audit your "False Deadlines." Look at your goals. Did you decide you needed to be married by 30 because you actually wanted to be, or because society told you that’s the cutoff? Most of our stress comes from deadlines we invented ourselves.
- Practice "Micro-Patience." Start small. Next time you're in a long line at the grocery store, don't pull out your phone. Just stand there. Notice your surroundings. Remind yourself that the three extra minutes won't ruin your life.
- Study the "Lag Time." In engineering, lag time is the delay between a stimulus and a response. It’s a feature, not a bug. Use your current lag time to refine your skills so that when the door finally opens, you’re actually ready to walk through it.
- Release the Outcome. Focus 100% on the input (your effort) and 0% on the output (the timing). It sounds counterintuitive, but it’s the only way to stay sane in a world you can't control.
Ultimately, leaning into the idea of things happening in his time is an act of bravery. It’s a middle finger to a world that demands instant results. It’s choosing peace over panic.
The clock is ticking anyway. You might as well stop staring at it.