God Is Never Late

Silence. No prophets has risen for over 400 years. That’s about the same time length since my home state commonwealth was originally a colony. That’s a long time. Had God abandoned His people? The people were oppressed and life seemed gloomy. They longed for rescue. They waited. And they wondered.

While God rarely arrives at the time or manner we plan, He always shows up at the right time – the time He knows is best, and in the right way.

And then in the messiness, in the life of a young teen, in the chaos of travel and nationalistic oppression, on a dark, silent night … The glory of the Godhead burst forth in fullness of grace in truth. The Creator of everything arrived. But not the way we would have planned. He arrived surrounded by cattle, witnessed by lowly shepherds, and on a midnight clear.

While God rarely arrives at the time or manner we plan, He always shows up at the right time – the time He knows is best, and in the right way.

And today, we still wait for things. We long for more, for meaning, for purpose. At Christmas, kids get impatient for their gifts so they search out hiding places. Adults feel buried in busyness and obligations that growth is stymied.

We need to learn from the narrative of the first Christmas. They waited so long, they longed for the fulfillment of the promise. There is a song that shows we can learn from seasons. Seasons acquaint us with the nature of patience. Seeds are buried to grow. For His promise is loyal … from seed to sequoia. Though the winter may be long, the fulfillment of the promise of spring is that so much sweeter.

And He came … at the right time … for the right reason … that we may have life.

And that’s worth the wait.

Lord, thank You for Your wisdom and providence. At the right time.