Gospel Reflections #146: In God's Timing and God's Working

John 7:30 "The people wanted to seize Jesus, but no one laid a hand on him, because his hour had not yet come. For the hour of Jesus had not yet come."

Jesus' opponents tried many times to seize Him, but they could not. They could not, because the great clock in heaven had not yet announced Jesus' hour. The plan of salvation is steadily moving forward in God's timing. Nothing happens, related to our salvation, that is without God's permission.

(These are for the events RELATED TO OUR SALVATION (birth, saving, conversion) because the BAD events in our lives are never part of God's plans, from our human eyes we see that it is permitted by God or allowed by God because He never stopped it to happen. However, we need to consider the freedom of choice given to each one, the control of God is in the environment of our hearts and not so much in the external events that can always be associated with the consequences of the presence of evil and the our evil nature. Evil and the evil consequences are not God's permission or part of heavens plan to teach us a lesson, but actually the consequences of choosing to sin, in God's grace He makes sure that He comes near in all our circumstances to help us have a glimpse of His love, His presence in our hearts despite the evil of this world. Only the presence of God in all our difficulties and suffering that makes it a great a heart transforming experience, without God's presence the evil situations in our lives will only bring about the evil in us. ).

Everything (in relation to our salvation, only when God reveals it later of what were these specific events would be) happens through God's filter. Jesus died at a predetermined time and for a predetermined purpose. I believe that the various events that happen to us (related to our salvation) are also based on heaven's chronology and timetable (these events like birth, conversion). When bad things happen to us, it is tempting to ask God, "Why? But I believe that God never intends for us to suffer, but allows (God's permission happens in our choices and freewill, if we choose to follow the dictate of sin, He cannot for us not to do it, so it may sound like God allows. The bad events happen in the freedom of the presence of sin in our fallen world and the permission we give Satan to control us, through our choices) events to happen to bring us back to Him (with God's grace His presence draw us back to Him).

(There are BAD things in our lives that is the consequences of our evil nature: wrong decisions and choices, in this situation, God makes sure that He comes near you so that the pain and suffering do not destroy us but rather THROUGH THE PRESENCE OF GOD, the pain and suffering becomes a place for growth and change. Pain, suffering, and difficulties are meant by Satan to destroy us but through God's presence they do not kill us but lead us to know God more and be converted. Just like Joseph, Moses, Jonah)

God's plan or will is not something we can ever understand, but a "good news" that is far beyond our imagination. God does not want us to try to know them, but to know Him who plans and fulfills good news.

Our faith is not "something" that God gives us, but "a relationship with God. God has prepared a time for you to have a firm relationship with Him. God prepares those times over and over again until you accept them.

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This Gospel Reflections page is written by Masae San, a devoted student of the Bible who passionately embraces the Gospel of Jesus Christ. She shares her daily reflections on the Gospels as a way to reach out to others and spread the message of Jesus. We're sharing her message here so that you too can experience the joy that comes from the Gospel that has filled her heart.