An On-Time God

I remember being in church singing the words to Dottie Peoples' Gospel song, "He's an On-Time God" as I played my tambourine. In my life, God comes right on time and rescues me. If you are like me, you have found yourself in a position where only God could rescue you.

In John 11:1-29CloseJohn 11:1-29 A man named Lazarus was sick. He lived in Bethany with his sisters, Mary and Martha. This is the Mary who later poured the expensive perfume on the Lord's feet and wiped them with her hair.* Her brother, Lazarus, was sick. So the two sisters sent a message to Jesus telling him, "Lord, your dear friend is very sick." But when Jesus heard about it he said, "Lazarus's sickness will not end in death. No, it happened for the glory of God so that the Son of God will receive glory from this." So although Jesus loved Martha, Mary, and Lazarus, he stayed where he was for the next two days. Finally, he said to his disciples, "Let's go back to Judea." But his disciples objected. "Rabbi," they said, "only a few days ago the people* in Judea were trying to stone you. Are you going there again?" Jesus replied, "There are twelve hours of daylight every day. During the day people can walk safely. They can see because they have the light of this world. But at night there is danger of stumbling because they have no light." Then he said, "Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but now I will go and wake him up." The disciples said, "Lord, if he is sleeping, he will soon get better!" They thought Jesus meant Lazarus was simply sleeping, but Jesus meant Lazarus had died. So he told them plainly, "Lazarus is dead. And for your sakes, I'm glad I wasn't there, for now you will really believe. Come, let's go see him." Thomas, nicknamed the Twin,* said to his fellow disciples, "Let's go, too—and die with Jesus." When Jesus arrived at Bethany, he was told that Lazarus had already been in his grave for four days. Bethany was only a few miles* down the road from Jerusalem, and many of the people had come to console Martha and Mary in their loss. When Martha got word that Jesus was coming, she went to meet him. But Mary stayed in the house. Martha said to Jesus, "Lord, if only you had been here, my brother would not have died. But even now I know that God will give you whatever you ask." Jesus told her, "Your brother will rise again." "Yes," Martha said, "he will rise when everyone else rises, at the last day." Jesus told her, "I am the resurrection and the life.* Anyone who believes in me will live, even after dying. Everyone who lives in me and believes in me will never ever die. Do you believe this, Martha?" "Yes, Lord," she told him. "I have always believed you are the Messiah, the Son of God, the one who has come into the world from God." Then she returned to Mary. She called Mary aside from the mourners and told her, "The Teacher is here and wants to see you." So Mary immediately went to him. OPEN VERSE IN BIBLE (nlt) , there was a situation that only Jesus the Messiah could fix. The two sisters were worried and sad because their brother was deathly ill. The brother of Mary and Martha needed a miracle from Jesus. The sisters sent for Jesus to come right away and heal their brother so that he would not die. When Jesus got the message, He waited four days before heading their way. I am sure everyone thought Jesus missed His opportunity to show His healing power and compassion. Jesus loved Mary, Martha, and Lazarus, yet He knew His assignment.

There was a specific time I remember crying out to God in prayer, asking Him to make a way out of my situation. I had bills to pay and not enough money to pay them. My electricity was going to be turned off by the end of the week. I tried to figure out what I could do to keep it on; I had used up my extensions and grace period. I could not think of what to do except pray for God’s intervention. All I knew to do was trust God and listen to His instructions.

I love the words Martha said to Jesus when He finally arrived. It reads,

“Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask” (John 11:21-22CloseJohn 11:21-22 Martha said to Jesus, "Lord, if only you had been here, my brother would not have died. But even now I know that God will give you whatever you ask." OPEN VERSE IN BIBLE (nlt) ).

It was the “But I know” that I had to grab ahold of in my greatest time of need. Although she was upset that He did not come sooner, she composed herself and remembered who He was and what He could do. I knew that Jesus was not limited in His power, compassion, or resources for me. So, like Martha, I had to trust He knew what was best and not lean on my own understanding as it says inProverbs 3:5-6CloseProverbs 3:5-6 Trust in the LORD with all your heart;  do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do,  and he will show you which path to take. OPEN VERSE IN BIBLE (nlt) .

After the conversation, Jesus sent Martha to get Mary and come to Him. And like Martha, I listened and obeyed His instructions when He told me to contact a family member from whom I usually wouldn‘t ask for money. Because of my faith that God can meet my needs, I could pay my electricity bill and rest easy.

Jesus loves us and wants the best for us.John 11:35CloseJohn 11:35 Then Jesus wept. OPEN VERSE IN BIBLE (nlt) says, “Jesus wept.” Although He has the power to perform miracles, He empathizes with what we are going through. He loves us with an everlasting love.

InJohn 11:43CloseJohn 11:43 Then Jesus shouted, "Lazarus, come out!" OPEN VERSE IN BIBLE (nlt) , Jesus called for Lazarus to come out of the grave, and he was made alive. We must remember to have faith and believe in God. With every situation you may be going through that seems hopeless and even dead, just know that He is an on-time God.

Father, I pray that you will always help us remember that your timing is perfect. You know more than we do, and we trust that your timing is better than ours. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

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Scripture is quoted from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.