A Line From Lisa…
“But when the time had fully come, God sent His Son…” Gal. 4:4a
Time is an earthside gift God has given His human creation. It provides a framework for structure and order in our lives and is measured in seconds, minutes, hours, days, months and years. God’s timeframe is different. It stretches from eternity past through eternity future. Throughout Scripture we see God punctuating our world’s time with activities, events, visitations and so much more, in keeping with His eternal timeline.
You already know I am prone to ‘wondering’. (I do pray that with the Spirit’s discipline and guidance I don’t slip into ‘wandering’!) One of my recent adventures in wonder came with that phrase ‘when the time had fully come…’. I began to consider how long the breadth of eternity past might have been before the ‘time had fully come’ for Jesus’ birth. When did God the Father first discuss His amazing plan of redemption for us with the Son and the Holy Spirit? How long was that focal point on our human timeline held, discussed and anticipated in the heavenlies before it actually came to pass? There are several verses which come to mind that reveal glimpses of God’s plans, purposes and provisions for us and our world, before it was even created. For example, we read in Acts 17:26, “From one man God made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and He determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live”. In Ps. 139:16 we are told, “All the days ordained for us were written in Your book before one of them came to be”. Then there are those precious words in Eph. 1:4 that amaze and delight us with this truth, God chose us in Christ ‘before the creation of the world…’.
As I pondered these truths my thoughts began to change from wonder to gratitude and worship. Nothing surprises our sovereign God. There is nothing random, unforeseen or unplanned to Him. I like John Piper’s description of sovereignty. He calls it ‘purposeful control’ and the grace filled, merciful, loving control of our Heavenly Father knows no bounds. God has been and always will be in absolute control of everything! This staggering truth causes our finite minds to struggle in awe with an inability to fully comprehend it, but it should also fill us with great joy, confidence, peace and energy for our days. All our yesterdays, todays and tomorrows have already been written and are being perfectly worked out by our Heavenly Father in keeping with His timing!
As I was chewing over these thoughts, I began to jot down some specific things in my life that could be listed under the banner of ‘when the fulness of God’s time had come’. The list included things like my birth, my new birth, schooling, employment and ministry opportunities, meeting Roy, our marriage and subsequent children, the privilege of living and serving in England, our move to Australia and even the moment when He will call me Home. As the list continued to grow, I found my thoughts shifting from those big, significant, major events of my life to the ordinary, the everyday, even the challenging things that fill my days. I was drawn back to the truth that I am God’s handiwork, His creation. Every moment, every breath has been planned and purposed for His glory and is being orchestrated in keeping with His eternal timeline. I want, I need to be reminded of this each new day that dawns. A fitting banner over my daily To Do list could read, ‘In the fulness of God’s time, this day and all that it holds has been given to me’.
Certainly, knowing and acknowledging that truth is important but it is not enough. It must also dictate my response to it and the first response must be to relinquish my hold on the To Do list! It is not mine, but God’s. I must allow Him to lead and guide me through it as He chooses. Letting go of my plans and willingly submitting to His not only brings Him glory but it strengthens my faith, deepens my trust and binds me closer to Him. I have been gifted wonderfully productive, sunny, joy-filled days of comfort, but there have also been painful seasons of struggle, uncertainty, sorrow and loss. The same Sovereign God is in, over, around and through them all. I never need to question where God is during those challenging times. He is right where He has always been. However, I may need to ask myself where I am! There are a couple daily reminders that can keep me responding rightly to God’s working in my life, and I’m pretty sure He won’t mind me adding them to the To Do list. The first is to wake with thankfulness for the gift of the day and all it holds. The other is to end the day with thankfulness for God’s grace, mercy, strengthening, care, and, oh yes, His timing!