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God’s time is the best: or just a tool for manipulator?
“God’s time is the best.” You hear it everywhere. In the funeral, the job interview is wrong, when someone is cheated out of the promotion, or when a young child loses a scholarship because the slot is given to someone who is more “connected.” This is an expression that makes many people calm in front of deep injustice. It is soothing. It is entertaining. And unfortunately, it is also deceptive.
It’s been so long, this phrase has been armed by those who are in power, especially in an environment soaked in corruption and favoritism. They steal opportunities, manipulate results, and then sprinkle these sacred sentences on their victims’ wounds. This is no longer just a message of hope – this is a control tool.
Ask for a first -class engineering graduate who passes through all stages of the recruitment process only to find his name is replaced by someone who is more “connected.” He waited for months, hoping for justice, only to be told by a senior official, “Don’t worry, God’s time is the best.” But the reality is: It is not God who blocks his way. That’s a man. It is a system that is cheated by achievement. That is a plan executed by people who claim to believe in justice but act directly on it.
The same story is played in the widow support program. A woman lost her husband during protest and was promised assistance by local authorities. He is registered among the beneficiaries of the cash transfer scheme – only for the list then filled with politician relatives. When he dared to ask why, he was told by a church elder, “Be patient, when God is the best.” But how can people rob you, submit your portion to others, and then ask you to pray again?
Even in education, this phrase is used as a bandage for betrayal. A brilliant student is nominated for scholarships. The community celebrates it. The teacher is radiant with pride. Then suddenly, the name disappeared. There is no explanation, just silent. A priest visited the house and said, “Maybe God is preparing something bigger.” But everyone knows other people are planted in their place. That’s not a delay – it was intentional.
And the church itself is innocent. Several leaders of the great congregation have acted as the same God as they preach. They are internal election rigs. They promote their children to become the role of leadership. They changed the ministry into a family business. When members grumble or feel short, they go up to the pulpit and state, “brothers and sisters, be. The time of God is the best.” But who really really moves the pieces here? Is that God – or are they who act as God?
Some of God who were chosen to be leadership positions based on services have now become an obstacle for others. When it’s time to retreat, they hold fast to the office – not because God asked them to remain, but because they have not positioned their children or the successors chosen. They postponed the transition, changing the rules, and manipulating the constitution while telling the congregation to “wait for the time determined by God.” But those who hold the clock. What they fear is not divine disapproval – it loses control. And instead of caring for the best candidates, they wait until their lineage or personal loyalist can fill the chair. Is that really true of God’s time, or only humans play God?
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In one church, a choir director who has served faithfully for many years suddenly was removed and replaced by the priest’s son, fresh from abroad. No reason. There is no process. When members who care about asking questions, they are told not to question authority but to believe that “God raises in his own time.” But clearly the elevator comes from nepotism, not the sky.
And then there are friends. People who pray with you. Eat with you. Encourage you to apply for a contract or public opportunity. You do work. You win fairly. And right when you think your time has arrived, they are quietly changed your name to the name of a party member or someone with a more political weight. The worst part? They are still calling you after that, with the same phrase on their lips: “Don’t worry, God’s time is the best.” But you two know that it is not heaven who denies you – it is the hand of betrayal dressing in friendship. And again, we were forced to ask: Is this really -really the time of God -or do people only play God and ask us to bless their mistakes?
This is not an argument against faith. Divine time is real. But not every delay is divine. Some delays are designed. Some “closed doors” closed by greedy hands, not by sovereign gods. And the faster we stop using “God’s time” to cover up human mistakes, the faster we can start to separate the correct faith from the wrong surrender.
It happens in a contract, in promotion, in marriage. A woman is led by a man for years. Then he turned and married someone chosen by his family. The reason? “God’s time.” But he knows it’s not about time. That’s about cowards. About double standards. About the velantal selfishness in spiritual language. And when the community echoed the line back to him, he was made to feel that questioning was a lack of faith.
Ironically, the hardest preachers of patience often are those who never wait for themselves. They use shortcuts, back doors, lobbyists, and bribes to reach where they are. Now they urge others to “trust the process.” They urged those cheated to “stay calm,” while they enjoyed the stolen blessings and called him help.
We must start to mention things as they are. “God’s time is the best” must not be a blanket that is thrown on the top of injustice. It must be a declaration of hope, not a defense of crime. Let’s stop baptizing corruption and call it God’s will.
Because if we really believe that God is fair, then we must also act fairly. If we believe he sees everything, then we must stop lying down in his name. If we want to see concrete changes, then Faith must go hand in hand with accountability.
God’s time is the best – but don’t insult Him by blaming him for our own evil.
And another time someone comforts you with that phrase, stops for a moment and looks closer. Ask yourself – not in bitterness, but with clarity and courage – is this true time – really God? Or only the person next to me, playing God in my situation?
Author: Abidemi Adebamiwa
The article published in our graffiti section is the opinion of the writers and does not represent Nigerian ripple views or the editorial booths.
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