Perfect Timing

Week 48

Ecclesiastes 3: 1-8

I don’t like being late and will often set off for an appointment much too early. The result is that I often waste time hanging around for the appointed moment to arrive. My quirkiness has, however, been beneficial in that as a writer and journalist I never miss a deadline. Deadlines energise me and drive me on. But I must confess that I will almost always wait until the last possible time to begin the task!

One of the many things I’ve written about over the years is what manufacturers call JIT. It stands for “Just in Time” and is now a feature in most supply chains. It simply means that components and goods are not bought until needed. They turn up at the assembly line just at the right time. But it is not perfect. When the system works well it is seamless and nothing is wasted on unnecessary lingering stock. When JIT doesn`t work the production line grinds to a halt and the business doesn’t make money because their timing was out.

Time is something we are all given freely but we don’t always value it as we should. We can view it as both good and bad and sometimes wish we had more or less of it. The writer Henry James (amongst others) said about a letter he wrote, “If I’d had more time, I would have made it shorter”. It is also a reminder that nothing made by man is perfect.

God’s timing is perfect. He told Prophet Habakkuk “…..it is not yet time for it to come true. But the time is coming quickly and what I show you will come true. It may seem slow in coming, but wait for it; it will certainly take place, and it will not be delayed.” (Hab 2:3).

I have seen God’s perfect timing so often in my life. A long time ago we were within days of being homeless when two people entered our life. This couple, who didn`t really know us, offered to provide a financial guarantee on a rented house for us. A while later, when we were about to move from a different rented home the landlord unfairly charged us three hundred pounds to replace a carpet. I wrote an article for a Sunday newspaper about the event, and they paid me three hundred pounds. When our old and dilapidated car was written off by our elderly neighbour reversing into it, I was asked to write a motoring column for a small unknown magazine. The result was that every Monday morning for the next two years, a motor manufacturer delivered me a brand-new car to test drive for a whole week. And then, at a time when a business had failed and we had absolutely no money a cheque arrived in the post from an anonymous donor with a note from the sender saying, “God has blessed them and now they would like to bless you…..though really it is an expression of God’s love and care for you”. All these things could not have happened at a more perfect time.

Psalm 1 speaks about our lives as followers of Jesus and reminds us that if we are walking in step with Him we will also “… bear fruit at the right time,” God’s perfect time.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank you that we know you have our lives in your hand and a perfectly timed plan for each one of us. Please help us to wait upon and trust you for all our needs.

Neil Bromage, 19/11/2023

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