And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn. Luke 2: 6-7“The time came” – not a moment too early, not a moment too late. A young couple alone, in a strange, crowded city, with no place to stay, Mary and Joseph find themselves giving birth to the Messiah in a stable. In this lowliest of places, at just the right time, the Word of God became a human baby so that we could be redeemed and restored to a full relationship with God our Father. (See Galatians 4:4-5) Did it seem “just the right time” for Mary, in the late stages of pregnancy to travel, probably on foot or by donkey, from Nazareth to Bethlehem? Did it seem “just the right time” for her to go into labor with no shelter, no midwife, no appropriate accommodations for birthing? Probably not, yet God was there with them, orchestrating events and time for the perfect outcome of His good will.
Sometimes in our lives, God’s timing seems out of sync with our hopes and desires, or our convenience and comfort. He seems slow to act or reluctant to speak to us. But when we gaze at a lowly stable in Bethlehem two thousand years ago, we can be assured that God knows what is happening, and His timing will be perfect.
Father, You are the author and creator of time. Help us to see Your perfect plan unfolding through all the times of our lives. Teach us to rely on Your timing, and trust in Your plans. Amen
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