Truth Be Told

Timely

March 4, 2016

My husband knows when to walk in the door with an apple fritter.  Not that there is ever a bad time, but over the course of our nearly forty years of marriage he has acquired the ability to know when I need one the most.  I thank God for giving him that gift.

I’m also thankful God is “on time” with his gifts.  Reading in Hebrews this morning, I came upon this verse: “So let us keep on coming boldly to the throne of grace, so that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.” (Hebrews 4:16, ISV) I noticed few things I hadn’t seen before.

First, we are invited to come boldly.  Family is bold, guests are not.  Have you ever noticed that difference?  Guests still ask to use something in your home.  Family walks up to the refrigerator and drinks right out of the milk jug.  Okay, maybe not at your house, but they do at mine.  The point is: there is a certain timidity with being a guest.  You stay on your best behavior for fear of being ousted.

Family, on the other hand, has a “comfortability” that by-passes conventionality and operates with a freer boldness.  God has invited us into his family and wants us to move with greater confidence when it comes to bringing our needs before him.

Truth be told: he already knows what they are.

You try to anticipate your guests’ needs and provide accordingly, but you don’t know for sure what they need until they ask. And often, they won’t ask.

God knows all of our needs and he’s waiting for us to ask.

In this verse, it seems he’s telling us to stop acting like guests and ask for what we need with the confidence. The confidence that comes from knowing the One being asked.

And then there is the little phrase: “in our time of need.”

Some translations use an image of seasonable help.  While God has the ability to supply all your needs (Phil. 4:19), he doesn’t just dump on you.  It’s a bit like the manna God provided to the wanderers in the wilderness.  It came fresh every morning and they were to take enough for that day, otherwise it would spoil (and it was a rotten spoilage).

Jesus, when he was teaching his disciples to pray, picked up on this when he taught them to ask for their daily provision, their daily bread.

We’re a funny people.  Let the weather gurus forecast a big storm and the food flies off the grocery shelves like there’s not going to be a tomorrow.  It becomes a first come, first hoard nightmare.

God doesn’t work that way.  He will give grace and mercy when you need it—never too early, never too late.

So whether it’s a timely delivered apple fritter, a call from a friend, a job prospect, or an unexpected windfall, we can know that God will be right on time for our every need.

A3 timely.God's time

 

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  • Lillian March 4, 2016 at 10:44 am

    Great article. I never thought of it like that, coming boldly to Christ. I love when the scripture opens up a new and deeper meaning in the Word.
    Thank you.

    • Tina Hunt - Truth Be Told March 4, 2016 at 1:56 pm

      Thanks, Lillian! The beauty of the Word is the way it meets us in new and fresh ways. And who doesn’t love going deeper. Your comment was an encouragement to me. Thank you for taking the time to share. Blessings.

  • Sherry Carter March 4, 2016 at 12:20 pm

    I needed this! I’m struggling right now and I want His answer in my time! In our time of need…sometimes I think it would be better phrased, “In His time, He meets our needs.” The quote at the end uses the words pray, wait, patience, God’s time. Hard words.

    In my life I’ve seen many times when His timing was best. I wanted an answer a lot sooner but, if He’d answered then, I probably would have attributed it to my actions or even that dreaded word “luck.” His timing is perfect because, when He answers, there is not other explanation but that it is Him. My prayer is that I wait, anticipating His answer in His time.

    • Tina Hunt - Truth Be Told March 4, 2016 at 1:54 pm

      Hi, Sherry. I agree completely. It’s never easy to wait. The mantra of the one wine company, “We will serve no wine before it’s time” would be a good one to adapt for our spiritual life. I’ll be praying and anticipating right alongside you! 🙂

  • Susan March 4, 2016 at 1:11 pm

    “So whether it’s a timely delivered apple fritter, a call from a friend, a job prospect, or an unexpected windfall, we can know that God will be right on time for our every need.”

    This is great encouragement to me! Thanks for sharing it.