Advent Day 01 – The Right Time
“When the time was right, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman; born under the Law.” Galatians 4:4 NLT
By now, you doubtless have finished up seconds… and thirds… of Thanksgiving meal. The pumpkins and fall decorations are now being tucked away to await the next arrival of autumn. And now, ON TO CHRISTMAS! Decorated homes and bright lights are beginning to dot our neighborhoods, and Christmas shopping lists are being made and checked off.
I’ve heard more than one person say, “I can’t wait for Christmas this year; it means we’re almost finished with 2020!” Maybe you have felt the same. It’s been a hard year… the hardest for many. And as much as I would wish turning the calendar from 2020 to 2021 means all of this difficulty would fade into history, I am doubtful it will.
The people alive when Jesus arrived in Bethlehem around 2,020 years ago were, like us, eager to see better days. Political unrest, riots in some areas and persecution in others, injustice, illness and poverty riddled their daily lives. Old men would gather and discuss in whispered tones about the coming one. Jewish synagogues were filled with conversations and questions about the arrival of Messiah.
They were expectant. And suffering. And weary. It was then that the Bible says, “When the time was right, God sent forth His Son….” When the time was right? What could that possibly mean? Was God oblivious to what was happening in the world? Didn’t He know people were hurting?
Or could we allow that God doesn’t see things as we see them? The prophets had promised for hundreds of years prior that “a child would be born” and “a light would shine forth in the darkness.” And now, “the time was right.” The darkness was now dark enough. Light was on its way!
God knows right where we are today. And no, He isn’t oblivious or calloused to our pain or our cries for help. In fact, it was in the midst of His people’s pain and hopelessness that our Lord first entered the world. Can we await expectantly in these dark days and believe that He will not leave us nor forsake us? Can we wait with hope in spite of the challenging days we are living in and believe that Light will come?
Perhaps we’ve never needed the hope of Christmas… or the promise of a Savior… more than now.