'Late' but on time - Praise & Pray (for others) May 6, 2022

We all expect the Lord to show up by our deadlines. I know do and I tend to pray with my timeline in mind. However, the Lord isn't restricted to showing up for me within the time frame I desire or expect. In many cases, He'll show up earlier. Still, there are those times when God shows up after a set deadline. Praise the Lord that whenever He does this, He somehow manages to be right on time.

Don't believe me? Meshach, Abednego and Shadrach had to be thrown into the fire for the Fourth Man to show up (Daniel 3). Job lost his wealth, his kids, and his health. Then, God showed up and restored to him double in Job 42. Same with David when the Amalekites raided his base in Ziklag (1 Samuel 30). They kidnapped the women and children and plundered. God in His wisdom showed up after the worst had happened but He enabled David to not just recover what was lost but to plunder those who'd plundered him.

Are you familiar with the story of what happened to the Israelites at Ai? Joshua was leader of his people and they were still new in Canaan at the time (Joshua 7-8). They'd defeated Jericho and took on the next city - Ai. Unfortunately, they were soundly defeated. Joshua and his people went to the Lord in fasting and sought His face to understand how they could have lost that battle. The Lord revealed the reason, showed them how to remedy the situation, and gave them strategy to win.

The result? The next time the Israelite army showed up, the men of Ai came out to fight. Unknown to them, they were about to meet a fighting force that had the full backing of the God who shows up right on time. By nightfall, the city of Ai was no more.

God's pattern of showing up 'late' but on time continued in the New Testament. Lazarus had to die and his family and friends had to mourn so that God would be glorified when he was resurrected (John 11). He did the same in the case of Dorcas (Acts 9). And when it came time to heal the daughter of Jairus, Jesus took His time getting to the twelve year old, who eventually died but was revived in a great miracle (Mark 5). One would wonder why God would allow the girl to die and let her family endure the pain of her loss. Yet, none of that matters now, nor did it matter then. These experiences, though tough, gave God glory and allowed millions of people to praise the Lord as well as be strengthened thousands of years later.

In each of these examples, God could have shown up before the bad thing happened. He could have made a mighty move before a deadline. Instead, God chose to make sure that nobody else could claim His glory. He ensured that all who witnessed the ensuing miracles knew without a shadow of a doubt that no idols or false gods could do what He'd done in that age or any age to come.

If the Lord shows up 'late' He will nonetheless be on time to save His chosen ones. Don't believe the lie that if He doesn't show up by the manmade deadline then He'll never appear. Call on the Lord while you honor and serve Him, then watch Him show up in a big way. He doesn't lie and has promised to rescue those who belong to Him. As the creator and controller of time, He will move according to His schedule. If we accept His timing, He will be glorified in our lives and regardless of the deadline, we will testify that He showed up right on time.