Unwrapping Christmas - Viewing the Nativity Through Luke's EyesSample

Day 15

Now Elizabeth's full time came for her to be delivered, and she brought forth a son.  Luke 1:57

The Christmas narrative is overflowing with many themes, promises, and truths filled with profound and eternal importance. One thing is for sure, it is the story of His Perfect Timing.

God is never early, and He is never too late. Sometimes I have called Him the Lord of the thirteenth hour, coming through when hope seems lost, and when time has ticked past my preconceived deadline for divine intervention. Yet, I can look back on these occasions with 20/20 vision and see that His timing was perfect in every instance. Every. Single. Time. 

I think it is vital to remember that God – the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit – lives outside of time’s boundaries. There are no hour or minute-hands on His boundless watch. He created time for us, but He is not limited by it (Genesis 1:4). Nothing constrains Him because He lives in dimensions that we can’t even fathom now, starting with eternity…

I believe we can mess up the Lord’s perfect timing. Yep, I do. Some might disagree, but the Bible is full of encouragement to wait and trust. We get in His way when we try to speed things up, seek to manipulate His hand (yes, we do try that, don’t we?), or when we attempt to run out ahead of Him. Has this ever worked? Or maybe the question to be asked is this: has our interference only further delayed what He was doing?

So, what are you waiting for in your life? Yes, Elizabeth had to wait a long time to have her baby, but do you think she would have had it any other way? Would she have wanted a different child who wasn’t the forbear of the coming Christ? Ponder that. His timing isn’t about us; it is about what is eternal, which can help us in the waiting room of God’s promises. Because our timing is usually shortsighted, and when He has us tarry, it usually means He is up to something much bigger than we can imagine.