Just in the Nick of Time

This morning, across two fields of grass, I saw an apple fall from our neighbor's tree. I was just sitting on my couch staring out the window toward their house with my coffee cup in hand and happened to see an apple fall from one of their trees.  Now, how was it that I happened to have my eyes focused on that particular spot at the exact time that apple let loose from that tree?  If I had just blinked I would have missed it.

How many times do we find ourselves in situations or experience an event, large or small, that, had we just altered our actions just a tiny bit, we would have missed?

I had surgery last Friday to remove a cyst from my back.  Just prior to that it was infected so I had to wait to have it removed until the infection cleared.  It took about a month which seemed like forever.  But had my surgeon removed it before it was time, it could have been a lot worse.

This morning I woke up to a heavy rain.  It came just in time to water my garden.  Because of the surgery last Friday I have to be careful not to bust my stitches by doing too much.  I waited as long as possible before I had to get out there and water the garden.  But today it rained.  And rained in abundance.  So not only did it thoroughly water the garden but it filled up the birdbath to water the birdies.  Just when I needed help.  Just in the nick of time. 

Shooting stars.  Do they "just happen" to cross my line of sight?  Do I "just happen" look up at just the right time, just in the nick of time to see them?

I look at that apple tree across two fields just in the nick of time to see one apple fall.  Surgery happens at exactly the right time.  Gardens and birdies, and even me are cared for at exactly the right time.  Shooting stars perfectly timed.

Could someone greater than me be in charge?

Yes.

God is.

That's just it. With exquisite timing, beyond my understanding, His universe revolves.  The stars align to sing of His might.  And He gets lil' ole me where He wants me to be so He can take care of me, bless me and teach me.

He answers my prayers in His timing not mine, when my faith and trust in Him have been fully exercised.  He doesn't rely on my strength to accomplish His purposes.  Sometimes He just outright blesses me. Sometimes He allows me to come to the end of myself.

This is a blessing, when my faith is tested, my strength and determination exhausted, for then He is at His strongest.  He asks me to follow His instructions for living, obey Him, lean into Him, for then he can bless me by showing me the perfectly timed beauty of a falling apple, a shooting star, the incredible way He works through the nimble hands of a surgeon.  And perfectly timed rain.

Be at peace today.  All things happen in their time. And time belongs to our God.