GOD’S TIME IS THE BEST

“Jesus spoke these words, lifted up His eyes to heaven, and said: “Father, the hour has come. Glorify Your Son, that Your Son also may glorify You” (Jn 17:1). The first words Jesus utters in this prayer are these: “Father, the hour has come”. Here we see that Jesus was always conscious of the plan of salvation. He knew who He was and what was His work on earth. At the wedding of Cana, He said: “My hour has not yet come” (Jn 2:4). It seems that Mary wanted a more public miracle, so that people would see her Son’s glory. Jesus indeed did a miracle by changing the water into wine, but it was more discreet. He helped a humble family. He manifested His glory and many disciples trusted Him (Jn 2:11). But the full glory was yet to be revealed. Jesus says that now is that time! Thru His death, burial, resurrection, ascension, and the Father’s approval of His earthly work in the plan of salvation, His perfect glory will be revealed to all! His death on the Cross was necessary for sinful men to be saved. Man is not saved by the good life of Jesus, by His teachings or miracles that He performed. Man is saved by the death of Jesus. “The wages of sin is death” (Rom 6:23). Therefore, Blood must be shed before sin can be atoned. Jesus died in place of sinful man. The Cross shows the Justice and the Love of God, at the same time. God is the Master planner, even in the timing of events. Lesson: The perfect time of salvation gives me faith that God is never too early and never too late even in my life!

GOD IS SOVEREIGN OVER TIME – GOD IS THE MASTER PLANNER IN THE TIMING OF EVENTS

God is eternal. He exists outside time. God lives in eternity. We live in time. God’s plans for His creation and for man’s salvation were made before the foundation of the word. God accomplishes His eternal plans within the framework of time, thru men who live on earth. Time is a big issue for us, but it is not the most important thing to God. God is not limited by time, but He works in us and thru us knowing that we have a limited time on earth. Eternal life is perfect. It cannot be improved upon. Promotion is an earthly concept.

God introduced Himself to Moses as I AM WHO I AM (Exo 3:14). “Before the mountains were brought forth, Or ever You had formed the earth and the world, Even from everlasting to everlasting, You are God” (Psa 90:2). God is sovereign in everything, including the timing of events. Sometimes, it seems like God is passive, that nothing is happening. Suddenly, God moves and does something unexpected. It may look like God is late, but God always does the right thing, at the right time. His ways are different than our ways. He is always right. The perfect timing of events gives all the glory to God! We can trust God because He is in control. He is moving history for the good of his people. He is in control because He is the Creator. He saves because He is love. God has appointed a time for everything, including the incarnation. “But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son…so that we might receive adoption as sons” (Gal. 4:5-6). Jesus came to earth as Man and died on the Cross at God’s time! Selah!

Because God is Omnipresent, Omnipotent, and Omniscient, God is sovereign. God is sovereign over time, all the time. The word ‘sovereign’ means having the highest power, ultimate authority, being completely independent from His creation. God has all the power, wisdom, and authority to do anything He chooses with His creation. He has the power to prevent any action. For anything to happen in the universe, God must “allow” it. All Christians agree with this doctrine. What they argue about is how much control God exercises over the wills of men. God created man and gave him the power to choose. God is holy. For sin to enter the world, it means that God allowed men to choose sin. But they must face the consequences. God can do anything. He can act and intervene in any situation, but He often chooses to act indirectly. He allows certain things for reasons of His own. But thru God’s perfect will or His permissive will, God receives His glory!

God told Abraham to “know certainly” about future things, that his descendants will be “strangers in a foreign land” and suffer as slaves. In the fourth generation they shall return to the Promised Land. There shall be an exodus after 400 years. They shall come back when the iniquity of the Amorites (the Canaanites) will be complete (Gen 15:13-16). These words refer to the time when Isreal went to Egypt and later became slaves there (Exo 12:40-42). The time of suffering in Egypt was to humble them so that God can later bless them. When they came out, they remembered God’s prophecy to Abraham. They worshipped God for His faithfulness, for the exact timing of deliverance. God waits for the sin of the Amorites to be complete. This shows the timing of God’s judgment. God is patient and kind. He desires that men should repent and not perish (2Pet 3:9). But if men refuse to repent, God judges them. Here we see that God uses His people to conquer the Promised Land as an act of judgment against the sinful Amorites.

God says: “For thus says the LORD, ‘When seventy years [of exile] have been completed for Babylon, I will visit (inspect) you and keep My good promise to you, to bring you back to this place. For I know the plans and thoughts that I have for you,’ says the LORD, ‘plans for peace and well-being and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope” (Jer 29:10,11; AMP). When God spoke this Word to Jeremiah, His people were in exile, refugees in Babylon. God punished them for rejecting His Word thru the prophets. The people were suffering there. God tells them that He has good plans for them. They should accept the just punishment, but they should look beyond it. God is sovereign. He alone knows the future because He designs the future. At the end of the punishment, once the people have humbled themselves, God will bless them with peace and well-being. God promises spiritual and physical prosperity. The future is better than the present. In Hebrew, the word “peace” is Shallom. It means peace, health, wealth, favor, and friends. God has promised thru Jeremiah that after 70 years of exile in Babylon, He will bring Isreal back to their land. Daniel read this prophecy and was encouraged by it (Dan 9:2,3). God’s came to pass. After exactly 70 years, using King Cyrus of Persia, God made a way for His people to come back to the Promised Land. Praise the Lord!

“Daniel answered and said: “Blessed be the name of God forever and ever, For wisdom and might are His. 21 And He changes the times and the seasons; He removes kings and raises up kings; He gives wisdom to the wise And knowledge to those who have understanding” (Dan 2:20, 21). God controls history. Men think that they choose their political rulers and kings, but God is sovereign. God gives prophetic words of rising and falling of kingdoms and empires. Everything happened according to God’s plan and purpose. This is a great comfort to know that no human ruler is stronger than God. Like Daniel, believers are called to be faithful and wise in their environments. This involves living out our faith with integrity and courage. That faithfulness honors God!

Lessons: All God’s promises are sure. His Word is forever faithful. God’s faithfulness is part of His character and gives Him all the glory. God is in charge of Time. God oversees the length of your suffering and the time of your deliverance. He alone knows the future and orchestrates events according to His divine plan. Trust in His sovereignty, even when circumstances seem difficult. God’s people may experience suffering and trials. Exercise hope, faith and patience in times of trials as you wait for the promised deliverance. Your personal trials are part of the bigger plan of salvation. It must end in praise, in greater testimonies, and to the glory of God! The way Isreal found hope in the promises of God we should also find hope in God’s Word concerning the future. We need faith and patience to experience the promised good hope of the future which is found in Christ alone! Remember that God’s time is the best! Selah!

About His second coming Jesus said: “But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only… 42 Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming. 43 But know this, that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into. 44 Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect” (Matt 24:36, 42-44). His second coming is sure, but the time of the event is a secret. Jesus said that in His human nature, He does not know the time. The mighty angels live in God’s presence in heaven, but even them do not know the time of the second coming of Christ. Only God the Father, the planner of salvation, knows the time. That day will be like what happened during the time of Noah. People were living normal lives. But their wickedness has spread all over the world. They were ignorant of the danger. By faith, Noah built an ark to save his life and His family. Then suddenly, like a thief, Jesus came again. Lesson: be prepared!

TO EVERYTHING THERE IS A SEASON

“There is a season (a time appointed) for everything and a time for every delight and event or purpose under heaven… A time to love and a time to hate; A time for war and a time for peace… He has made everything beautiful and appropriate in its time. He has also planted eternity [a sense of divine purpose] in the human heart [a mysterious longing which nothing under the sun can satisfy, except God]—yet man cannot find out (comprehend, grasp) what God has done (His overall plan) from the beginning to the end” (Ecc 3:1, 8, 11; AMP).

God has a purpose in every season of life. The word “purpose” means that God is intentional and actively involved with us, during the different seasons of life. Seasons change but God never changes. We must trust God for His perfect timing even if it is not totally clear to us. Life has many Changes and Transitions. Seek to find God’s purpose in each season. When you are young, do not desire to be old. When you are old, do not want to be young. While love is a central Christian virtue, there is a time to hate evil. Our hatred is directed towards sin and not individuals. Because of sin, conflict is inevitable and part of human experience. Christians are called to navigate these times with patience, seeking God’s guidance and wisdom, striving for peace whenever possible in all seasons of life.

God has made everything beautiful in its time. In Hebrew, the word “beautiful” means something that is fitting, or appropriate. It means something that has a purpose. It is the right thing done is the right manner and at the right time. When God created everything, He said that “it was good”. The creation was beautiful. Sin damaged the beauty of creation but could not destroy it. Man was made after the image of God. That is why God has planted eternity in men’s hearts. This longing for eternal life is peculiar to men. The animals do not desire that. Salvation is by God’s grace and by faith in Jesus Christ. Once you become saved, you’re longing for eternity, by learning how to master time. This is God’s command: “make the very most of your time [on earth, recognizing and taking advantage of each opportunity and using it with wisdom and diligence], because the days are [filled with] evil” (Eph 5:15; AMP). Redeeming the time is beautiful. Only God knows all things. That is why as believers we live by faith. Even when we do not understand all things, we must trust God. That faith is beautiful. Trust in God’s perfect timing. Just as God made everything beautiful in its time, we must have faith that His plans for us are unfolding according to His divine schedule. Accept your limitations. Humble yourself. Also, cultivate a spiritual understanding of life and keep eternity in view. Learn to appreciate the beauty of creation. Give glory to God for all experiences, and in all seasons of life. Young or old, find joy in God!