Micah 5:2  "But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, Though you are little among the thousands of Judah, Yet out of you shall come forth to Me The One to be Ruler in Israel, Whose goings forth are from of old, from everlasting." 

I. God's Timing was Perfect in Christ's 1st Coming (even though it looks like things didn't go as planned)

Gal 4:3 when we were children, were in bondage under the elements of the world. 4  But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, 5  to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons. 6 And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out, "Abba, Father!" 7  Therefore you are no longer a slave but a son, and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ. 8  But then, indeed, when you did not know God, you served those which by nature are not gods.

Daniel's visions 2, 7 8,9  Artaxerxes (decree Neh 2:8, return from exile...Palm Sunday www.preceptaustin.org/daniel_924-27.htm
Greek philosophy (Acts 17), Alexander's conquests, Jewish dispersion, LXX Septuagint (~250 BC)
Antiochus, Maccabees Hanukkah; Sadducees,  Pharisees and Essenes set the stage for NT debates
Roman conquest and Pax Romana;  Caesar Augustus' decree  and Herod's persecution, Bethlehem, Magi

Dan 9:13  "As it is written in the Law of Moses, all this disaster has come upon us; yet we have not made our prayer before the LORD our God, that we might turn from our iniquities and understand Your truth. 14  "Therefore the LORD has kept the disaster in mind, and brought it upon us; for the LORD our God is righteous in all the works which He does, though we have not obeyed His voice. 17..hear..and for the Lord's sake cause Your face to shine on Your sanctuary, which is desolate. 18..we do not present our supplications before You because of our righteous deeds, but because of Your great mercies. 19  "O Lord, hear! O Lord, forgive! O Lord, listen and act! Do not delay for Your own sake, my God, for Your city and Your people are called by Your name."
24  "Seventy weeks are determined For your people and for your holy city, To finish the transgression, To make an end of sins, To make reconciliation for iniquity, To bring in everlasting righteousness, To seal up vision and prophecy, And to anoint the Most Holy.
25 "Know therefore and understand, That from the going forth of the command To restore and build Jerusalem 3/5/444 Until Messiah 4/6/33 the Prince, There shall be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks; 173,880 days The street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublesome times.  26 "And after the sixty-two weeks Messiah shall be cut off, but not for Himself; And the people of the prince who is to come Shall destroy the city and the sanctuary. The end of it shall be with a flood, And till the end of the war desolations are determined.
27  Then he shall confirm a covenant with many for one week; But in the middle of the week He shall bring an end to sacrifice and offering. And on the wing of abominations shall be one who makes desolate, Even until the consummation, which is determined, Is poured out on the desolate."  www.aboutbibleprophecy.com/weeks.htm

II. God's Timing will be Perfect in Christ's 2nd Coming (even though it might not look like it now)

Eph 1:7  In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace 8  which He made to abound toward us in all wisdom and prudence,  10  that in the dispensation of the fullness of the times He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on earth

2Pt 3:4 "Where is the promise of His coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning...

Acts 17:30  "Truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent, 31 because He has appointed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness by the Man whom He has ordained. He has given assurance of this to all by raising Him from the dead.

III. God's Timing is Perfect in Our Lives (even tho' we have deprivations, difficulties and disappointments)

Lk 2:4  Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David,7...there was no room for them in the inn 

Jer 29:11  I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope

Isa 30:18 Therefore the LORD will wait, that He may be gracious to you; and therefore He will be exalted, that He may have mercy on you. For the LORD is a God of justice; Blessed are all those who wait for Him. Dt 28:2 blessings chase and overwhelm

Jn 14:21  "He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves/(is loyal to) Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him."  24  "He who does not love Me does not keep My words 
Rm 8:28 we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.

Questions for Reflection/Discussion/Response:

1. Why God doesn’t answer our prayers sooner, or as we requested? Does God really have the power or know what's best?
2. Why do we have not have the same concern for God's reputation and glory as we do for our own reputation, comfort and pleasure?
3. If God has a perfect track record of purpose, wisdom and timing, why do we struggle with trusting Him with our present and future?
4. How should we respond when things don't turn out well for us, and instead go from “not good” to bad to worse?
5. What do we have control over while awaiting fulfillment of God's good and perfect plans for us?