Did God Contradict Himself???

I am the LORD;
in its time I will do this swiftly.

Isaiah 60:22b

Does anybody else see the contradiction in this verse?

Look again.

Because it's there. I'm sure of it.

Or, at least I thought I was.

Does "in its time" sound slow to anyone else? Or is it just me?
To me, "in its time" sounds like the kind of answer you give to an anxious kid who's asking when her tooth is going to finally fall out. Or the way you'd respond to an athlete who wants to know when his knee will be well enough for him to play sports again.
It surely doesn't sound like the kind of thing you'd say to indicate something which was about to happen at any given moment.
Definitely sounds like w-a-i-t-i-n-g to me.

So where, I ask you, does "swiftly" fit into this equation?
Swiftly, which may be defined as:
1. moving or capable of moving with great speed or velocity; fleet; rapid: a swift ship.
2. coming, happening, or performed quickly or without delay: a swift decision.
3. quick or prompt to act or respond: swift to jump to conclusions.

How can the two terms be used congruously?

I sat with God and pondered that question. I wondered what He meant when He spoke those words through Isaiah. And, by His grace, I came to understand there was no contradiction.
God's timing is perfect, and when He chooses to act nothing can stop Him. When God acts, He moves swiftly. He does not delay, rather moves with all His capability.
Promptly and completely.
The thing I came to understand from this verse is God moves in this way - swiftly - when it is the right time. In this case, Isaiah was talking about God's redemption of His people, Israel. But I believe the same is true of us today.
Though there may be times when we feel like our waiting is endless, when it feels like God is not moving in our circumstance - and we may begin to question His ability to move, I believe we can still trust Him to act swiftly. When the time is right.
When He can say of our situation, It is time.

HE did it for Israel. HE'll do it for you.

What are you waiting for today? I would be pleased to pray for you!