“You go on. I’m not going to this festival, because my time has not yet come.” After saying these things, Jesus remained in Galilee. (John 7:8-9)

Read: 1 Kings 4:1-34, Psalm 72, Psalm 127

Relate: It’s all in the timing. In baseball, a pitcher stands sixty and a half feet from the plate. When he is pitching a fastball, from the moment the ball leaves his hand to the moment it crosses the plate is less than half a second. For the best pitchers it is between 0.41 and 0.42 seconds. In that amount of time, the batter must determine what type of pitch was thrown and if it will be a strike. He must then bring his bat around and make contact with that ball at the correct height and angle so that the ball moves forward in the right direction. The best contact hitters, like Ichiro, are able to target their hits so that the ball will go where the defenders are not. Power hitters, if their timing and location is perfect, will make contact on the sweet spot of the bat and send it soaring over the fence for a home run. To do either of these things requires near instantaneous decision making and action. The timing comes down to thousandths  of a second. That is why we pay the best of these men millions of dollars even though they are only getting a hit between one fifth and one third of the time. In baseball, timing is everything.

Jesus was heading to the feast of booths, but He did not go up with His brothers. They were probably leaving a little early and the main reason they wanted Jesus to go was because He was getting quite famous. Their philosophy actually seems quite reasonable. If you’re going to be a public figure, why not do it in public? Take this show on the road. Go where the people are. You’ve got a good thing going for you, why not ride the wave? But in reality they had no idea what they were talking about. All their systems, all their methods, all their analytics, were nothing compared to the wisdom of God.

React: In time Jesus would become the most famous person to walk the earth. In time His works would be known and would impact people the world over. He would influence everybody from the lowest beggar to the most powerful king. More than any other person, the world we live in today has been shaped by Him. But it was all in the timing. That time had not yet come. Jesus knew when to let a pitch go by… and He knew when to swing for the fences.

Respond:  

God, I recognize that Your timing is always perfect. Help me to be patient. I have all these great ideas of just exactly when and how You should move. I have all these wonderful plans on just what exactly You should do. I am so grateful that You don’t take my advice. I am so glad that Your wisdom is so much greater than mine. Help me to live and move in the reality that You know just what You are doing and that You will show up at just the right time. God, You are so good. Your timing is always spot on.