In Due Time

Bills, statements of account, library books, paper submissions, mortgages, loan payments and all other transactions have due dates. There is a penalty for not meeting them.   

In fact, anything we do on Earth has a timeline. Even extended deadlines have specific due dates. That’s what calendars and timepieces are for. 

It's the same with life on earth. When does it end?  Life's deadline varies from person to person. 

Some die young, too soon; some die old, too late; some die suddenly: some die after a long, lingering illness. Some seem to be given an extension and we call it, "second life." But there is a specific date for every individual's last breath, which is unknown to us.

Now, the phrase, “in due time” is everything but specific or definite. It means "eventually" or "at the right time." It is used to suggest that we should be patient, or to suggest that some event will happen eventually. 

It is vague. 

Have you ever been through a crisis? Or are you going through one now? In such a state, oh, how we pray for God’s rescuing grace to intervene and ease our plight right away.  

But does He?  

In John 11, Jesus is told that his friend, Lazarus, is critically ill. To his disciples' surprise, Jesus doesn’t hurry to heal him; He goes two days later.  

Lazarus has been dead for four days when Jesus arrives. He then brings His friend to life. Is that late? 

That's "in due time." What a miracle that someone who has been dead that long could still come alive!  

God’s perfect timing. "While waiting," our pastor often  emphasizes, "we grow our faith, fully believing that only God gets the glory for pulling us through." 

When is that again? "In due time.” 

This three-word phrase is exclusively His—God's own schedule; not yours, not mine.  

"'My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts,' says the LORD." (Isaiah 55:8 NIV) 

Humans have a life span; God has none. He is eternal—the beginning and the end. 

The world had a date for Jesus' crucifixion and death. But on the third day, nobody expected He would rise again and conquer death. It’s the same way with crisis, suffering, and life itself—only God can end them “in due time.” 

The good news is, if we have the gift of salvation to join Jesus in His home, our life there will be forever, with no deadline.