READING: Luke 10-11, John 10:22-42
TEXTS AND APPLICATION: Are you perhaps struggling today with God’s timing? I am reminded today of the rightness of His timing, though perhaps in an unusual way. Read these texts about Jewish opposition to Jesus, and notice God’s protection of His Son until the time of His death was right:
John 5:16-18 Therefore, the Jews began persecuting Jesus because He was doing these things on the Sabbath. . . . This is why the Jews began trying all the more to kill Him: Not only was He breaking the Sabbath, but He was even calling God His own Father, making Himself equal with God.
John 8:59 At that, they picked up stones to throw at Him. But Jesus was hidden and went out of the temple complex.
John 10:31, 39 Again the Jews picked up rocks to stone Him. . . . Then they were trying again to seize Him, yet He eluded their grasp.
It’s John 8:20 that tells us why the Jews were not able to seize Him and stone Him: “But no one seized Him, because His hour had not come.” Simply stated, God allowed nothing to happen to Jesus until the timing was right. The time for Jesus’ death was not in the hands of His enemies, even though they would be the ones killing Him. Jesus would give up His life when He chose to do so.
Needless to say, God is still in control today. Even when His hour is not according to our schedule, we can trust that His timing will always be right.
ACTION STEPS: Confess to God any faith struggles you have because He has not answered your prayer in the time you wished.
PRAYER: “God, thank You that Your timing is always right. Help me to trust You during the ‘meantime’ between my praying and Your answering.”
TOMORROW’S READING: Luke 12-13