Timing Is Everything

What makes a comedian successful? an acrobat death-defying? a ballet beautiful? It's timing, synchronicity. Sure, a comedian's material can be funny, but chances are, it's been written by someone else. His (or her) talent is delivery, presenting the joke in a manner that actually makes the comedic elements land just where and when they need to land. Timing is vital. And the acrobat. Without measuring the rhythm of the catcher or the swing, the acrobat would miss the catch or grab, falling to the net or something much more unpleasant. Synchronicity is critical. The ballet is breathtaking because the choreography, the execution, the pageantry, and the music all work together in perfect harmony to bring the story to life. All things working together for the good of the audience and the consummation of the plan.

The Hebrew Scriptures close with God's promise to His people:

“Remember the Law of Moses, My servant,
Which I commanded him in Horeb for all Israel,
With the statutes and judgments.
Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet
Before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord.
And he will turn
The hearts of the fathers to the children,
And the hearts of the children to their fathers,
Lest I come and strike the earth with a curse.” ~ Malachi 4:4-6

I keep a small piece of paper in my Bible, between these words and Matthew 1:1. The paper simply reads "400." Four hundred years lie between God's promise of a coming redemption and the arrival of the Redeemer. Four hundred years of silence from Heaven. Four hundred years of His people either hanging in there, trusting what God had sworn, or letting go, giving up on anything ever coming to pass.

Advent has begun. The season in which we turn our thoughts to the Gift of Jesus and the salvation He purchased for us according to the plan and purpose of our loving Father God. Maybe silence has fallen in your world this season. Maybe foreclosure proceedings have begun, or you have said a tearful goodbye to any hope of having a child. Maybe your wife has announced her decision to abandon your covenant. Maybe the prognosis is accompanied by a recommendation to hospice. Maybe your knees are buckling under the weight of a thousand little things. And through all of this, you have cried and cried out until you are cried out. Silence. But just as a good laugh requires skill unseen by those watching, just as acrobatics requires the executioner to control many moving parts, just as a ballet's beauty is woven gently and methodically by designer and performer alike, redemption is coming. God is working all things out for the good of those who love Him, those He has chosen (Romans 8:28).

The Redeemer has come! When the fullness of time had come (Galatians 4:4-5). He was not slow in coming. You've not yet missed your chance. As long as Advent is celebrated on this earth, those who would come to the King may come. It's the perfect time!