It doesn’t always feel that way. In fact, sometimes it feels like God is late. The reason we feel that way is we have yet to grasp the full weight of one simple fact. God always works for our good according to His purpose. We can’t see behind the scenes of how things are unfolding – and we are not the center of what’s happening. There’s a bigger agenda.
I was struck by Matthew 1:17 where the ancestry of Jesus is written. 14 generations from Abraham to David, 14 generations from David till deportation to Babylon, and 14 generations from Babylon to the Messiah. This is amazing! Not 14,12,13, but precision: 14,14,14.
Have you ever read the chaotic journey of the Jews during that time? Through multiple political entities, kingdoms, and nations, God preserved the generational line for the messiah. Jesus came “in the fullness of time.” At the right time. On schedule. To exactly the right place, with exactly the right purpose.
When Herod tried to kill Him, he was already in Egypt. This was hugely inconvenient, not to mention dangerous. “Get up and run!” the angel said. Maybe Joseph had a job he had to abandon. Maybe they had very little money. How did Joseph support Mary and Jesus in Egypt? Yet he obeyed the angel – he did get up and run. Is it possible God saved the life of His son Jesus and then let Joseph figure out the details by himself in Egypt?
Have you ever considered that the detours of your life may be exactly what God had planned to save you from something much worse? The problem is that we cannot see the future nor can we fully see the past. And here’s a thought: we cannot see the consequences of decisions we did not make. So when God moves something around for His purpose and our good, we may not have any idea what evil He has spared us. We only feel the burden of the inconvenient and the difficult as He masterminds His will and purpose in our lives.
Remember that we serve the God of the “14 generations.” He is precise in time, exact in detail, unmoved by circumstances and always true to His word and His purpose. He made time, and He keeps perfect time!! Trust Him and allow His clock to be the one you watch.
