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The Right Time

John 7:6
Therefore Jesus told them, ‘My time is not yet here; for you any time will do. (NIVUK)

Jesus had been urged by His brothers in Nazareth to do some 'publicity miracles' at the Feast in Jerusalem.  They had lived with Him but did not know Him, or the salvation-significance of His mission (John 7:5): nor did the crowd who watched Him.  Many who followed Him wanted to make Him their king, while those who opposed Him (the religious leaders whose hypocrisy He had exposed) wanted to kill Him by stoning (John 5:18; John 8:59).  The reason why Jesus had spent the past six months in the Galilee region was that He did not want to meet His appointment with death before the right time ... at God's time.

Looking back, we can see that the death of Jesus Christ had to take place at the Passover to fulfil the prophecy about Him being the 'Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world' (John 1:29).  He had to die on a cross (Galatians 3:13), not by stoning, to take our curse upon Himself.  

Jesus came at a time when the communication and travel systems throughout the Roman world would enable the church to grow quickly.  The gospel message was carried fairly rapidly by the apostles, believers who travelled on business and those who were displaced by persecution.  God knew all these reasons and many more and so the Apostle Paul affirmed in Galatians 4:4-5: "But when the set time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those under the law, that we might receive adoption to sonship."

God always knows the right time (Psalm 31:15).  Opportunists seek the first possible time-window, analysts seek their calculated time-window, but those who seek the Lord wait for His time and strength (Psalm 27:14).  God is never early, never late but always on time.  He alone knows how to coordinate every person and circumstance to achieve His multiple Divine purposes.  Impatient people grasp what they can see, while the lazy miss the moment: but those who rest in the Lord and wait for His time will never fret (Psalm 37:7), and will renew their strength (Isaiah 40:31).  So when a crisis looms, follow the example of Jesus: do not let others push you ahead of God's timing.  As you trust yourself to Him, He will direct your direction, decisions and the timing (Proverbs 3:5-6).

Prayer 
Master of time and space. Thank You that You know the right time for everything. I am sorry when I worry about times and events, not trusting You to bring everything together at the time You know is best. Please help me to believe that You are able to bring everything together for the good of those who love You, and to do it at the right time. In Jesus' Name. Amen.
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© Dr Paul Adams