I've been encouraged by a few in my life to pray to be in the right place at the right time. I don't do it on a daily basis, but it has become a recurrent prayer. As I've been here for less than two weeks, I'm very aware of the significance of the timing of my visit and plans to return. I've arrived at a time that has allowed me privileges to attend events that I wouldn't have if I had come another time.
Also, as I traveled to Darmstadt, Germany last Friday to meet with other leaders with EE, we all had to recognize that the timing of me joining the team in Europe is remarkable. It's humbling to be valued when I am so aware of my limitations--both with EE as well as my language skills. Yet I admire the team's ability to recognize each person's individual strengths and how they bring them together to create a strong force. I believe that's how God wants us to be as His Body, but they do a good job of this here. I'm excited to be able to join the team here "at such a time as this."
Sometimes I think "in God's perfect timing" can seem like a cop-out effort to explain those things that we've prayed for and don't understand why they haven't been realized yet, whether in our own lives or in those we love. And when we lose perspective that God really is in control, it's easy to gripe when things don't go our way. I was reminded Friday that we don't always see the bigger picture, though. Due to rain and traffic, we arrived 1.5 hours late in Darmstadt, which means we didn't leave till 9PM. That alone projected a 1AM arrival back home...if we hadn't come to a 2-hour stand still in traffic. As we stood outside of out own vehicle, we all recognized that if we had left a few minutes earlier, we too could've been in the horrendous accident that brought over 25 rescue workers.
Whether in our daily circumstances or major life decisions, may we be in the right place at the right time. And may we have eyes to see or at least hearts to trust when we can't understand the seeming (or real) hold-ups in our lives. As a very wise man said, "[God] has made everything beautiful in its time."
