Right On Time
“Do not ignore this one fact, beloved,
that with the Lord one day is like a thousand years
and a thousand years like one day.”2 Peter 3:8
Have you ever prayed for something so fervently that you became a bit impatient? Perhaps sometimes we feel as if God did not hear our prayers or that maybe He came through a bit too late. Or maybe even finding ourselves questioning the goodness of God or His presence. But we know that God is all good and that He hears all our prayers, so it can’t be the case that He doesn’t hear us or chooses to ignore us. Rather, God is waiting to answer our prayers at the exact time we need them. God is always right on time.
We hear the Prophet Isaiah saying to the Israelites, who were at this time in captivity, “Comfort, give comfort to my people, says your God.” To the Israelites, these words may have seemed silly as how can they experience any comfort when they have been aliens in a foreign land. But the Prophet encourages them and reminds them of the faithfulness of God in the past, and just as He was faithful in the past, He is faithful now, and will be faithful in the future. Isaiah tells the people that God will shepherd them and bring them back to Himself once again. Some chose to believe and remained steadfast in their faith while others doubted and gave up their relationship with God. To those who gave up on God, He was too late for they needed relief then and quickly.
In his second letter, St. Peter reminds that God transcends time and does not operate on our schedule. God does not always answer our prayers the instant we cry out to Him. God is not a genie to whom we turn for wishes. God is a Father who knows the needs of His children and will grant unto them all that they need when they need it. God is always right on time, never too early and never too late.
Sometimes we do not get what we want because it may do us more harm than we could have perceived. Sometimes we do not get what we seemingly need because deep down we were not truly ready to receive it. You see, God knows our hearts, and even if He wishes to give us something, if our hearts are not yet ready to accept or receive it, it may be more of an obstacle or a burden to us if God were to grant it. So, it is never the case that God withholds His love or care that He seemingly ignores our prayers, but because God loves us and cares for us, He withholds from us the things we think we need but that will really bring us harm.
The Israelites prayed for freedom, and God granted it to them in time — not once, but many times — and those whose heart was ready, received it. Freedom from slavery in Egypt, from being captured by foreigners, and from their own sins. In the fullness of time, God granted unto mankind the most powerful remedy for sin, the One who would set us free from our slavery to sin, His Son, Jesus Christ Our Lord. Jesus came for all, but only those whose hearts choose to receive Him will receive the gift of His salvation.
Brothers and sisters, do not give up on prayer, even when it seems as if God is not listening. He always listens and He knows what we really need. Pray for the faith and perseverance to know and believe that God will grant unto us all that we need at the exact moment that we need them because God is always right on time.
