Sandcastle Kings By Rich Wilkerson, Jr. Sample

Don’t Cry. He Isn’t Late.

Can you imagine what God’s timing for the widow in our story must have been like? Your husband is dead. Now your son has died. Your life as you know it is over. So you’re now holding the funeral for your beloved son, and as his body is being carried out of the city for burial, you are stopped by a man you have never met. He seems friendly, and you can tell he hurts for you. “That’s nice,” you think, “but let me move on and bury my son, please.”

Then he says something that cuts you to the core: “Don’t cry.”

“Don’t what? Don’t cry? Don’t you realize what is going on? Can’t you see that my son is dead? And by the way, so is my husband! Don’t cry? My life is over! And where is God when I needed him? Where was he when I was on my knees praying for him to spare my son’s life? Didn’t he hear me? Where was God when he died?”

But Jesus’ "don’t cry” is not meant to offend the widow. It is meant to give her hope. Jesus is saying something like, “Don’t cry. God isn’t late. His timing is perfect.”

Then Jesus walks over to the bier and says, “Young man, I say to you, get up!” And the son sits up and begins to talk. Did you get that? Jesus brought a dead guy back to life!

I don’t know what is going on in your life. I don’t know what problems you have or what you desire from God at the moment. But I know this: God is never late. His timing is always perfect. Your situation may seem hopeless. You may think that there is no way out, that there is no way even God could help you now. You may be frustrated that he has not answered your prayers.

Know this: if God can answer a widow’s prayer to heal her son after the son has died, he can also give you exactly what you need at exactly the right time. It might not be right now, but it will be at the right time.