God's Perfect Timing

I've been thinking about God's timing a lot recently.

Our homestudy, which was done in record time, has been held up for a month because of lost medical records. Who has ever even heard of a doctor "losing" a patients vaccination records?? Anyway, I'm trying not to become frustrated by this delay, but the more I think about it the more upset I become because I know that this delay is so minor compared to the other ones we will face as we move forward.

Then I realized that Christmas is the perfect season to think about God's timing. I hope you'll read what I came across on this great website called Nehemiah Notes....

It's clear now that God knew exactly what he was doing in bringing Christ to earth when he did. We can take comfort in knowing that the same power of timing which affected the events of Christ's birth also operates in the circumstances of our individual lives. God's ways with Christ were meant, in part, to show his ways with us (Rom 8:11, 32).

But it takes spiritual alertness to appreciate the timing of God. And to respond to it.

God graciously allows us to experience the benefits of his timing in countless ways, even when we're not consciously trying to cooperate with him. He works behind the scenes in untold ways to protect us and provide for us. Yet within certain boundaries he also gives us freedom to make decisions which do or do not conform with his timing. Here, though, the challenge comes in understanding his timing. There is no easy formula for doing this, and we should not be too quick to think we grasp his plans. He has radically different clocks for each of us. Consider examples from the Christmas story:

A woman past the childbearing years, Elizabeth, gives birth to a son. How often we give up too early on a personal goal and let failure convince us God has said no, when in reality he has simply said "Wait."

A very young woman, Mary, conceives a child miraculously. Sometimes God is ready for us to move ahead before we think it is logical to do so.

Mary gives birth to Jesus in the humble setting of a stable. We can think we're unprepared to do something because we lack certain material benefits. In fact, these may not be at all necessary to carry out what Christ wants us to do.

When we look closely at those privileged few who participated in the first Christmas, and why God may have chosen them, it seems that they not only had a heart for God but a unique bent for listening to him.

The message, then, is clear: If I am to enjoy the benefits of God's timing in my life, I need to give to him something for which there is no other substitute: time. It is perhaps the greatest irony of the Christmas season that we become so busy at this time of year that we have less time than ever to be still before the Lord. With the Christmas holidays approaching, let me encourage you to set aside some generous time for being alone with Christ and gaining his perspective on your life.

Do you see any of those examples fitting your life? Thinking you are too young, too old, not strong, smart or rich enough, lacking something else? We sure did...with our adoption, and lots of other things.

And did you catch the "slap" -- that it takes our spiritual alertness to appreciate God's timing and plans? Ugh! My prayer for you is that you will take the time this Christmas to make the baby Jesus your number one priority!