A popular saying has made its rounds through motivational circles: If opportunity doesn’t knock, build a door. Its logic encourages radical self-reliance and motivates one to manufacture one’s own success, rather than waiting for a natural flow of events. I embraced this philosophy for years, and while it may be inspiring, it goes against the definition and very nature of a true opportunity. And it is exhausting.

The word opportunity comes from the Latin phrase ob portum veniens, which means ‘coming toward the port.’ Its origin describes the process by which ship captains waited at sea before steering their vessels towards the shoreline. While lingering miles from the harbor, captains would actively monitor the tide’s rhythm, ocean current, and wind strength and direction. Crews remained vigilant and prepared to dock, knowing that when all crucial elements aligned at the right time, the captain would slowly guide the ship safely to its destination.

I love this visual. I imagine the captain and crew working harmoniously, neither frantic nor attempting to create their own waves. They don’t manipulate the conditions; they wait, watch, and conserve energy. They model peace and trust and employ wisdom. This scenario got me thinking about the opportunities in my life – had they been organic, or had I forced them?

The Bible provides examples of people creating their own opportunities:

• When God took His time giving Abraham and Sarah their promised son, Isaac, the couple used Sarah’s maidservant, Hagar, to conceive Ishmael (Genesis 16:1-4).
• King Saul was instructed to wait for the prophet Samuel to arrive and offer the sacrifice before battle, but he grew anxious and took it upon himself to perform the priestly sacrifice (1 Samuel 13:8-14).
• Encouraged by his mother, Jacob secured his blind father’s blessing through deception, disguising himself as Esau, the brother the blessing was intended for (Genesis 27:1-35).
• Despite God’s direction and wisdom, King Solomon made a way by creating political alliances through foreign marriages (1 Kings 11).
• King David seized an opportunity to commit adultery with Bathsheba, another man’s wife (II Samuel 11:2-4).

Each of these stories shares a common theme: the people involved took it upon themselves to create an opportunity that was outside the will of God, which generated severe consequences such as family conflict and generational tension, loss of kingship, years of exile, and kingdom division.

Friends, God’s true opportunities do not require human striving or manipulation; they unfold naturally when our awareness and preparation meet His perfect timing and favor.

If you are in a waiting season, praying for an opportunity, be encouraged to resist the urge to manufacture movement. The tide is not late. It is forming. Stay faithful where you are. Remain watchful, rooted in prayer, grounded in God’s Word, and be diligent in preparation. God’s timing is never late.

Wait for the tide.