When the time had fully come, God sent his Son. Galatians 4:4
Good plans require patience; they cannot be done hastily. When it comes to our salvation and God’s will for our lives, we would like to push the Eternal to act a little more quickly. We may wonder why He waited millennia before the Messiah came. We may also wonder why He waits years before saving us from a difficult situation, or even saving our souls from eternal death. The answer in every case of God’s timing is the same: preparation.
We don’t know exactly why centuries of dry judgment prevailed before grace rained freely on all. We don’t know why some cultures remain in nearly complete darkness today. We don’t know why the chosen people’s history required such long periods of obedience, apostasy, and then judgment. And we don’t know why God doesn’t solve every problem the moment we pray, or why our Savior waits with veiled grace sometimes before opening our eyes to it. Perhaps the human race needed to exhaust its resources before God’s offer of providence became meaningful. Perhaps the world had to be subjected to utter frustration before it could even accept a Savior. Perhaps so do we.
What we do know, however, is that God is thorough. His plans are lengthy but well-conceived. His artistry is slow, but His colors are rich. His layers of meaning are many, and His purposes are completely pure. We can trust His timing.
The patience of the eternal God and the temperament of impulsive human beings often stand in stark contrast. A thousand years are as a day to the Lord, but not to us. We’re much too impatient for that. We think God’s plan for future generations might unnecessarily leave current generations shortchanged. We think a full revelation of His gospel was essential the first day after Eden.
But in His plan, a nation was cultivated, a law was given, human nature was exposed, prophets spoke, and creation waited. Then the Savior came. We were prepared for salvation, and we now celebrate the fullness of time. This is what Christmas is about.
Read: Galatians 4:4-7
As we observe Holy Week and celebrate our Risen Savior, I wanted to let you know that our Walk Thru the Bible President, Phil Tuttle, will be preaching the Good Friday Service (Friday, April 18) as well as the Easter Sunrise Service at the Garden Tomb in Jerusalem this Sunday.
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