October 14

King Solomon wrote, “There is a time for everything, a season for every activity under heaven.....God has made everything beautiful for it’s own time” (Ecclesiastes 3:1,11). Not only does God perfectly orchestrate the events that shape our lives (Acts 17:24-31), but He also does so when the time is just right. The apostle Paul says, “But when the right time came, God sent His Son.......” (Galatians 4:4). Why was that time more right for Jesus to come into the world than at any other time? There are some reasons that we know of. Greek had become a universal language making it easier to communicate the gospel around the world. The Romans had built a vast system of highways speeding up the transmission of the gospel to all parts of the world. Some reasons we can identify and many, only God knows. But, God always works when the time is just right.
We all know the importance of timing; whether it’s asking our parents to borrow the car, asking our boss for a raise or a job promotion, asking someone out on a date, etc. If we know how important timing is, then God knows it even better. But, while we have to guess when the time is right to do certain things, God absolutely knows for certain when the time is right. Jesus purposely delayed responding to Mary and Martha’s request to quickly come and heal their brother, Lazarus. God would receive greater glory by coming on His timetable and not theirs (John 11:1-44). Jesus’ brothers insisted that Jesus go to Judea for the Festival of Shelters, but Jesus said, “Now is not the right time for me to go” (John 7:6). However, Jesus did go a short time later, when he knew the time was right.
Not only did God determine when the time was right for Jesus to enter the world, but God knew when the time was right for Jesus to exit the world. And regardless of man’s intentions, God’s will is always done according to His timetable and not on ours. “As the time drew near for his return to heaven, Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem” (Luke 9:51). At one point, Jesus was teaching in the Temple. “Then the leaders tried to arrest him; but no one laid a hand on him, because his time had not yet come” (John 7:30). On another occasion, Jesus was speaking to the crowds. “And some wanted him arrested, but no one touched him” (7:43; see also 8:20). When the Temple guards who had been sent for the purpose of arresting Jesus, returned empty-handed, they were asked by the priests and Pharisees, “why didn’t you bring him in?” Their answer? “We have never heard anyone talk like this!” (7:45&46). In other words, they just couldn’t do it. God knew the time was not yet right for Jesus to be arrested.
We need to know that the God who has shown His interest in making sure the timing was just right for certain events throughout history, is just as interested in making sure that things happen at just the right time in our lives. God knows the trials and temptations we are facing in our lives. He also knows when we need to be protected from them and when we need to grow through them (Job 1:6-12; 2:1-7; I Corinthians 10:12&13). Faith is totally placing our trust in God no matter what happens or when it happens.