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A Matter of Time

By March 22, 2011August 30th, 2022Devotional

Janet and I are in Hilton Head tonight. We started out around ten this morning, and frankly, since we weren’t tired, we drove all the way here rather than divide the trip into two days. The most remarkable thing about the trip, which we both noticed, was how during our thirteen hour journey, we left winter in Indiana, and arrived with spring in Hilton Head. Let me explain – while the trees are still hibernating at home, trees are in full bloom here; and it was such a pleasant surprise to see things so far along. The mountains are starting to lose the barren brown of winter which has given way to the green hues of spring. We were both thankful that we saw such beauty in nature – something we were not expecting at all.

Now we both know full well that spring will be on the way in Indiana, and it is only a matter of time before we have the same conditions back home – but this change all happened in one day – winter to full bloom, and I don’t know that either one of us has ever experienced this before. While it is true that I fly quite a bit, and am used to arriving at a destination far different than the one I left, I usually don’t get to see the progression of change along my route. That’s what struck me so profoundly today.

But another thing struck me as well.  Did you ever realize that most of the miracles of Jesus had to do with the acceleration of time? Think about it! Water, mixed with the right ingredients, will eventually become wine. But not instantly. And how about that miracle of feeding the five thousand with the five loaves and two fish? If you think about it, eventually you could grow enough grain to make all the bread, and the fish could breed and eventually you could feed five thousand, but this happened instantly – once again, a matter of time. And healing the sick – same idea; the infirm may get better over a period of time, but not instantly; yet Jesus healed them on the spot. And some of those who were healed had been sick or paralyzed their entire lives!

In John 2:11, we are told, at the conclusion of the story about the wine at the wedding feast, “This, the first of his miraculous signs, Jesus performed at Cana in Galilee. He thus revealed his glory, and his disciples put their faith in him.” In other words, when the disciples saw the first miracle He performed, they trusted Him. And haven’t we all seen miracles in our lives than can only be attributed to God? This should be evidence enough of Christ’s love for us.

So my encouragement tonight is that you may take a moment and marvel at God’s perfect timing. Whether it be a miracle of nature, as we saw today, or a miracle of being present at just the right time, or some other illustration of God’s perfect timing, I pray that you will recognize Christ in the small moments of your life. Because God has all the time in the world, yet He listens to you, and to me, all the time! Isn’t that remarkable? The God of the universe is waiting to spend time with you right now. And since you will be spending an eternity with Him, you might as well get to know Him as soon as possible.

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