Park Street Church

   Introduction

sunday, december 2

Questions of Timing

Every day we are bound by questions of timing: What should I do next?

How many more days until vacation? When will we meet again?

Quite often my small group talks about how we should pray regarding timing. Is it right to ask God to answer our prayer today, or is it best to pray that God's will be done in His own timing? Jesus taught us to pray, "Give us today our daily bread" (Mt. 6:11), so we know we can bring Him even our most basic needs.

In moments when God manifests His real and present action in my life, His care for my past, present, and future converge. I remember walking into the dining hall in college and praying for a friend to eat dinner with; God immediately granted welcoming company. Even more urgent was my prayer last summer when a storm suddenly arose while our family was sailing. Gale force winds pushed the boat toward rocks, and all I could do was pray, "Oh God!" over and over again. Paralyzed by fear, I couldn't even think about how to help bring the boat in. But God heard our fervent prayers, and we eventually made it to back to the dock.

When it comes to praying less about the present and more about the future, we start to question the timing of God's response. Maybe the answer is immediate, or maybe it doesn't seem to ever come. Yet at other times, God anticipates our prayers, showing us that we should have trusted Him. This year when going through an apartment transition, I prayed for the right new roommate. God provided her, but He also provided the new living room furniture that we needed for only $100. I hadn't worried about the furniture. Though I could have been praying about it, God provided us with this blessing, knowing exactly what we needed. Surely, "From the fullness of his grace we have all received one blessing after another" (Jn. 1:16).

This Christmas season, let us worship the God who entered into time.

Born over 2,000 years ago, Jesus is still our Immanuel, God with us.

He is the Only One who anticipates and fulfills all our needs for all time.

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by Laura Andersen. Laura is a small group co-leader and a member of the Park Street Chamber Players. A grad student in library science, she also helps out in the church library. {Email Laura}

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