Waiting patiently is not high on the list of my attributes. I am much happier when things go according to my schedule. I know that I am not alone in my impatience because we live in a society that caters to instant gratification. We have fast food and microwave ovens. The cable and satellite television companies offer movies on demand. Many areas of life are tailored for convenience and hurriedness. However, patience is something that God wants to develop in each one of us. In 1 Corinthians 13 we see that “love is patient.” God wants us to see and understand that he does all things well and when we need him, he is always on-time. God has a plan and a purpose for our lives. He is faithful and he has never failed us. He wants us to come to the place where we completely trust him even when things don't proceed according to our schedule. “When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners.” Romans 5:6 (NLT)
When the manufacturing of automobiles began to take place on assembly lines, the problem of maintaining an inventory of necessary materials and parts became increasingly difficult. On one hand production could be stopped due to the lack of a proper screw or bolt and on the other hand the cost of maintaining excessive inventory could put a manufacturer at a competitive disadvantage. It was the Ford Motor Company which pioneered the concept of just in time inventory management. In his book "My Life and Work," Henry Ford said this, "We have found in materials that it is not worthwhile to buy for other than immediate needs. We buy only enough to fit into the plan of production…”
However, it was God who pioneered the concept of just-in-time many centuries before Henry Ford. When Moses led Israel from Egypt into the Promised Land, God supplied their daily needs in the form of manna. They were told to gather only enough for their immediate daily needs, in part because God wanted them to learn to trust him. And now, just as then, we must trust that God will meet our needs. He is always on time.
How can we not be overwhelmed by joy at the thought of what God has done for us? “But when the right time came, God sent his Son, born of a woman, subject to the law. God sent him to buy freedom for us who were slaves to the law, so that he could adopt us as his very own children.” Galatians 4:4-5 (NLT) It was at just the right time Christ came into the world to die for the sins of all and he came to us when we were helpless and enslaved by sin. What Jesus did for us is something worth getting excited about! The best witness for Christ is someone whose life is filled with joy and is excited about what Jesus has done for them.
God loves us more than we can imagine. A large measurement of our maturity as believers in Christ, is to understand and accept that God does things at just the right time, he came to us when we were helpless and he loved us with an extravagant love. I hope that we can get truly excited about that and in doing so, we will let our light shine and others will see that God has made a difference in us. God is always on time.