Advent - At Just the Right Time

“What God did when He sent His Son into the world is an absolute guarantee that he will do everything he has ever promised to do.  Look at it in a personal sense:  ‘All things work together for good for those who love God’ – that is a promise – ‘to those who love God and are called according to His purpose’ (Romans 8:28).  God has given the final proof that all his promises are sure, that he is faithful to everything he has ever said.  So that promise is sure for you.  Whatever your state or condition may be, whatever may happen to you, he has said, ‘I will never leave you or forsake you’ (Hebrews 13:5) – and He will not.  He has said so, and we have absolute proof that He fulfills His promises.  He does not always do it immediately in the way that we think.  No, no!  But He does it!  And He will never fail to do it.”*

At just the right time God sent the Savior of the World, His only Son, to be born in the little village of Bethlehem, to a poor and unknown young girl who was betrothed to a carpenter who was also relatively poor and equally as unknown.  At just the right time God sent the Messiah to fulfill all of the promises throughout the Old Testament and all of His promises to the Jewish people.  At just the right time God sent Jesus Christ to save not just the Jewish people, but the entire world.

At just the right time, God reached out to me and called me to follow Him.  God’s timing is always perfect, always.  We often have different ideas about how and when God should work, but I am so thankful that God truly knows what is best and does exactly that.  I am thankful that God is at work in my life, in all the details, in all the good times, and all the challenges, making everything work out just as it should according to His plan.

Christmas is a reminder that there is nothing beyond God’s plan and God’s work.  If God can make sure the entire world is right for the coming of the Messiah, surely He can make sure things work out according to His plan in my own life and in the lives of all the people around me.  It is hard to trust the timing of someone else, but we can always trust God’s timing and God’s work.  God always keep His promises and works all things out for His glory!  We are never too far away for God to work; God doesn’t take a vacation or get distracted.  Whether it is a time of joy or pain, prosperity or scarcity, celebration or anguish, God is always with us and always in charge.  Praise God that His timing is always perfect even when we don’t understand it, and we can’t ever do anything to mess that up.

“For no matter how many promises God has made, they are ‘Yes’ in Christ.  And so through him the ‘Amen’ is spoken by us to the glory of God.”  2 Corinthians 1:20

God bless, Rev. Liz Arakelian, www.LivingHopeEC.org

*My Soul Magnifies the Lord:  Meditation on the Meaning of Christmas by Martyn Lloyd-Jones.