Title: “Gods “ON TIME” answers are worth the wait!”
Date: June 16th, 2002
Year: Fourth Sunday after Pentecost
When in life do things take place at the right time? Not too often, right? It is more often that when you need something it will not be ready for you at the right time. Have you ever said to yourself, “If only they had that sale, before I bought that item” or something to that effect? I personally know all about things that don’t take place at the right time. Right after I graduated Seminary, the campus leaders decided to put in air conditioning; in fact they renovated our old dorms to make them livable. I hear they even got rid of the same beds that both Luther and I used. And since you know that I am a Red Sox fan, you now know that my team never quite seems to win the big game at the right time, like in a world series.
But let’s be more regional shall we? When in Texas do things take place at the right time? So far I have lived in Texas for just about four years and I still have not become accustomed to waiting for a meeting to begin, even though I showed up on time.
The examples that I just gave you are quite minor, in that we get over them after awhile but there are many other examples that come across our path which are not so easy to overcome. These are things that will tear away at our spirit.
In order to discover what those examples may be, you need to ask yourself what recent on time needs present stress in your life? Could they be prayers that seem to go unanswered, challenges that God gave you years ago that still delay you in reaching your dreams? Only you know what “on time” needs stress you out. Do you find that you can easily get impatient when you are waiting for something to happen at the proper time? Have you thought to yourself that maybe your version of what should be “ON TIME” might be better than God’s version?
Whatever stress we endure as a result of things not being on time, we can admit that it would be nice if we were able to always give up our worry like nature, and simply rest in the promise of our Lord to do right by us. But that is not always the case. No matter how hard we try, we can still become stressed due to things not working out for us at the proper time.
What I am getting at is that receiving on time answers to prayer, needs, and objectives are obviously very important to us. I know right now that Melissa wants “soon to be baby” Jaden to at least be on time, and failure to have him arrive “on time” will most definitely bring about stress in our family. Not just stress due to our impatient desire to have this baby, but also stress in a more physical way. We all know that when a mother gets close to her 40th month, things are more than just a bit uncomfortable. The stress of waiting can also cause more fatigue, restless nights, and body pain for…both wife and husband. J.
This example does not just connect to expectant parents though, because the same results can happen to anyone who stresses out over on time needs. That is why chiropractors have such a huge business, there is a lot of stress going on out there, and much of it relates to on time needs not be addressed at the proper time.
Failure to receive “on time” answers can also cause you to lose sight of God’s control in your life. And that is when things can really get over our head. When we stress out, it is almost as if we forget all the many times God has come through for us. For example, in the past he has given you the right Scripture for the right moment, and always before you totally lost it. He has given you a place to live, which had to be at the right time or else you would have been living on the street. He has given you a job at the proper time, and I am sure he has helped you find a way to pay those bills at the right time, even when money was scarce. But yet we can forget all those other “on-time” events when we are dealing with another stressful “on time” need today!
Maybe that is why our Lord gives to us this passage today, which says, “At just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly.” Here is our center point passage of “on time” answers. This text has got to be the greatest example of God coming through for us at the right time.
What makes this text such a center point text for our “on time” needs? Do you remember those old campy movies that would have a woman on the brink of some sort of disaster and just as she was about to be killed, a stranger would swoop in and rescue her? Well, that is what God did for us. There is no doubt that we were on the brink of disaster because we were enemies of God. Look what being an enemy of God did for Satan? He was and is still doomed to a life of complete separation from god. All humanity was doomed to an eternity in hell as well! We were heading for a lifetime of total separation from God. We were basically hanging above a bottomless pit, while holding onto a rope that was covered over with oil and fire. God could have just let that rope burn through but at the right time he saved us. At the right time he not only pulled us up to safe ground but also gave us the means to no longer be an enemy of God, but instead an adopted heir.
Let’s talk about that enemy status a little bit more. It is clear from God’s Word that we did not have to make ourselves righteous before God in order for him to act at the right time and save us. The fact, that God acted while we were yet sinners, adds another level of comfort to us. It is so easy to try and bargain with God when things don’t happen for us at the right time that we choose. In times of need we can make all sorts of promises to God, thinking that he will act only if we choose the right things to say or make the right promises. But since God did not wait for His people to suddenly start acting righteous then, we can be assured that he will not expect us to act more righteous now in order for Him to act. His perfect timing therefore has nothing to do with what we say or do and that takes off a lot of pressure from our shoulders. Furthermore, if Satan tries to convince you otherwise, you can remember God’s word today and trust that God will act at the right time, by His will not ours. “For if, when we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of His Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life!
There is yet another reason why our Lord gives us this text for today. The fact that we have been reconciled gives us tremendous peace. Romans 5:1 states, “Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” This peace enables us to rest in God under any circumstance. No longer do we have to stress out, or lose hope, or depend on our own actions to bring forth the “ON TIME” answers we seek. With the peace of Christ, and with the Words we have read today, we can rest in Him and trust that since he came to us at the right time, to bring salvation how much more will our Lord come to bring forth HIS “ON TIME” answers to us?
Brothers and Sisters in Christ, the good news today is that any answers that wait on God’s good timing will be answers worthy of the wait.
Therefore be of good cheer whenever you need “on time” answers, for God will come through. And if you find yourself waiting, then give thanks that you are able to wait on God and that He is willing and ready to answer our hearts and prayers through his Son Jesus Christ. And if you ever find yourself stressing out over the burden of your “on time” expectations passing you by, simply turn to Romans 5:6-11 and be restored yet again to the truth that God’s good timing is always worth the wait. Something to think about!
