But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born[a] of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons.Imagine this scenario. You are hungry. Starving to eat and you place a meal in the microwave. The package says heat for five minutes in order to fully cook. However, if you are like me, you never wait the full five minutes. Instead, usually at four minutes and fifty-two seconds I become so impatient for "it" to be done that I stop the microwave and decide it is done. My hunger and my own sense of timing have driven me to frustration right before it is actually done.
(Gal. 4:4)
This does not just happen when I am heating food in the microwave. It happens in my life as well. I battle everyday to remember God's perfect timing versus when I say I am done and ready. Every day I ask God when as I stand waiting in anticipation of the next step and next phase of life. When will I be ready? When will I receive this? When will deliverance come? It is no wonder the Jews had doubts concerning the Messiah, because after centuries of asking “when” with no conceivable answer, it is easy to fall into doubt.
Yet, as we already know, our ways are not God’s ways and from the beginning of time, God had a specific plan in mind – a redemptive plan in Jesus. To the human eye, it took centuries to cultivate, just as we wait for the seconds to slowly pass on a microwave. But to the Lord, perfect timing was more important than imperfect results.
But why did it take centuries? Why did humanity have to wait and what does timing have to do with who Jesus is? It has everything to do with Him. For only in a perfect timing, could the perfect Savior be born. Not only was prophecy fulfilled with Jesus “Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel” (Isaiah 7:14), but the culture of the day was crucial to Jesus’ birth and ministry.
At the birth of Christ, the Greek culture was dominant; thereby the Greek language was universal to spreading the Gospel in a common language. Additionally, the Romans had set up a system of roads for transportation and travel throughout the Roman Empire that allowed for easier travel and spreading the Gospel. A census would also be taken under Roman decree which caused for Joseph and Mary to travel to Bethlehem, their family origin, in order to be counted.
All of these seemingly unrelated events actually played into the fullness of time and God’s plan for the birth and ministry of Jesus. Every second counted. So why is this so important to who Jesus was? It’s important to know that Jesus was always a part of God’s plan. Jesus was not a man that happened to be born as a great prophet; He was the Anointed One, the Christ, which was prophesied throughout the Old Testament. Not only as Christians should we know what we believe about Jesus, we should know exactly what things were said to identify Jesus and why every second before His death and resurrection served for our salvation.
So, the next time you ask God when, just take a moment to recognize God does work things out in the fullness of time. Every day, every hour, every minute and every second does count in fulfilling His purpose for our lives.
All rights reserved. Used by permission.