God's "Weird" Sense of Time
Source: Kerygma mailing listConsider the details of the Gospel passages: John the Baptist is arrested and imprisoned… Jesus disturbs Simon and Andrew while the brothers cast their nets into the waters… Jesus walks and calls James and John away from their father and the hired men. All these, Mark says, signify God’s best time — “the time of fulfillment.”
The Bible contains many other references to God’s strange sense of time:
- Abraham and Sarah finally had their own son when Abraham was 100 years old and Sarah was past the normal child-bearing age.
- Moses was allowed to waste 40 years of his life in the court of Pharoah while Israel languished in forced labor. He was later to spend another 40 years on the run in the desert. Then at the age of 80, Moses finally leads Israel out of Egypt.
- After Malachi, God sent no prophets to Israel for around 400 years, and when John the Baptist came, his mission was cut short by Herod’s sword.
- Finally, Jesus came – as the awaited Messiah. He spends 30 years of hidden life, and He dedicates just the last three years of His earthly mission for preaching about the Kingdom.
I believe that this is one great challenge about following God: to synch with His plans and timetable, we need to have either patience (lots of patience) or a never-ending sense of humor.
(Fr. Domie Guzman, SSP)
Reflection Question:
Go back to your adventures of time and timing with God. What are your unforgettable experiences in this regard? In what ways have you experienced that God’s time — no matter how it initially appeared strange — always turns out to be the “best time” for you, for your work, for your relationship?
Lord Jesus, make me sensitive to Your time, to be always aware that my time isn’t necessarily Your time. Grant me patience to wait for the perfect time for the unfolding of Your plans in my life.
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