John 11:5-6 Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. Yet when he heard that Lazarus was sick, he stayed where he was two more days.

It is of intense interest that it was precisely because Jesus loved Martha, Mary, and Lazarus that He didn’t respond immediately to their request for help. The NIV translators couldn’t bring themselves to render it that way, but the Japanese follows the Greek here. We have a lot of trouble emotionally when that sort of thing happens, either to us or to someone close to us. We want things to happen on our preferred schedule! However, we need to remember the anointed words of wisdom in Hebrews: “These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised. God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect.” (Hebrews 11:39-40) As it says clearly there, the delay was not the fault of those experiencing it, so we aren’t to be accusing ourselves or others about such things. There are many levels to faith, but I really think timing is one of the higher/deeper ones. It is particularly stretching to our faith when we have complete assurance that God can and wants to do something, which we also want intensely, but He doesn’t do it in what we see as a timely fashion. We want to set God’s schedule! One of the most fundamental realities of the universe is that God is outside of time, because as any physicist will tell you, time is dependent on matter, and matter exists only because God created it. Being outside of time, everything is now to Him, and that plays all sorts of tricks with our minds. We need the intellectual understanding that God is outside of time, along with the faith to trust that He desires what is absolutely best for us, whatever it looks like in the moment.

This is something I struggle with all the time (pun unavoidable). I have the mental understanding of the situation, but at times that isn’t very satisfying emotionally. I tend to be jealous of “my” time, which shows that my understanding and faith aren’t nearly as deep as they could be. I’m grateful to be growing in that area, however. Just last night I had a dream that is actually related, that I was at a conference that was running late, and around 10:30 PM they decided the leaders would have a meeting – in Garrott’s room! At this point in my life I like to be in bed by 10, since I get up around 5, so this was perhaps a warning to me that I need to let go of my schedule. I do know that God will enable me to do whatever He asks of me, just as Paul experienced, (Philippians 4:13) but I still don’t find the prospect exciting! At the same time I recognize the truth in the Southern Gospel song: “We will understand it better by and by.” I am to take everything as it comes and trust God’s love, grace, and power.

Father, thank You for this Word. With my upcoming school retirement You have been making it clear that there will be many changes in my schedule. Help me not be anxious about any of it, but indeed rest, relax, and rejoice in You, just as You have told me to do, so that I may be fully available for whatever You want to do through me, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!