God’s Timing

God’s Timing

Elizabeth

Read: Luke 1:5-25

“I love you, Mommy!” Valerie bent down to let her son’s little arms wrap around her neck, then watched Sammy dart back to the playground. She remembered how shocked she had been to learn that she was pregnant in her early forties, just when her two daughters were in college. At first, it wasn’t just morning sickness that had nauseated her, but things had worked out. True, she didn’t have the freedom that her friends enjoyed, and some days she ran out of steam by dinnertime. And so what if she was the oldest mom at the park today? She waved back at Sammy on top of the jungle gym and smiled. I wouldn’t have missed this for the world.

Today’s passage tells the story of another woman who received the shocking news of a pregnancy. Although Elizabeth and her husband were both “very old,” an angel announced that she would give birth to a son. Elizabeth rejoiced at the news, but in spite of her deep faith, perhaps she had momentary doubts as her aging body experienced the changes of pregnancy. Did she wonder if she would have what it took to be a good mother at her age? Any anxiety would have been dispelled if Elizabeth could have known that Jesus would later say of her son, “Of all who have ever lived, none is greater than John the Baptist” (Matthew 11:11).

Sometimes we wonder about God’s timing. He can bring events and people into our lives at what looks like the most inconvenient times. But God’s timing is perfect, even when it makes no sense to us. Rather than jumping to conclusions and worrying about the future, we would be better off learning to trust him with every aspect of our lives. Then when something seems to happen at the wrong time, we will eventually look back and say, “I wouldn’t have missed this for the world.”

At the right time, I, the LORD, will make it happen.

Isaiah 60:22