God’s plan

By Dean Collins

Day in and day out, we try to see God’s plans. We rarely or barely see them looking forward, but they are as clear as day when we look back. That is the nature of living by faith and not by sight I suppose. But wouldn’t it be great if we could just see the highlight reel before things happen? Maybe we can, but God reserves the right to keep some surprises for us. And his surprises are much better than we can imagine.

In the case of Isaiah, he was given a picture of what was to come hundreds of years later. Beginning in chapter 52 and continuing through chapter 53, we find a section of scripture often referred to as the suffering servant. As we come toward the end of Holy Week, we cannot help but see Jesus in Isaiah’s words. This description so accurately correlates with the gospel writers that a skeptic might think it impossible that the prophet wrote this before the time of Christ. But scholars and ancient texts like the Dead Sea scrolls confirm that Isaiah 53 was, in fact, written long before Jesus came to earth.

Other prophets like Zechariah also reveal pieces of the events that we know to have happened based on the gospel accounts. Zechariah wrote that the future king would ride into Jerusalem “on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.” Jesus would not ride into town on a magnificent stallion or an ornate chariot. He would not have military leaders surrounding him; but rather, he would come to accomplish his victory on the back of a small donkey.

Isaiah described the marred and unrecognizable appearance of Jesus after the humiliation and abuse he experienced ahead of his death on the cross. Isaiah also saw ahead of time the Jesus we know from the gospels and from other New Testament writers as one who was despised, rejected by men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. Isaiah continued, “Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows.” We know that Jesus did and has never stopped bearing our grief and carrying our sorrow. On the night of his agonizing torment and the early hours of his agony on the cross, we consider that he did all of this suffering to bring about our reconciliation with God. It is truly hard to bring our minds and hearts to fully embrace the intensity of both the suffering and the love of our savior.

Now some 2000 years removed from the events of Maundy Thursday and Good Friday, we can look back at what the gospel writers recorded and what Isaiah recorded even centuries earlier. Several years later after the resurrection, the apostle Paul wrote about the timing of the death of Jesus. Isaiah might have been given a vision of the future but did not have the capacity to understand all of the timing and how this would all come about. And in the context of Isaiah’s moment in history, he would likely say the appearance of a savior was already long overdue.

But consider Paul’s inspired words:

“For while we were still weak, at the right time, Christ died for the ungodly. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

Did you see it? …at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. Who but God knows the right time for all of the sins of the world to be taken on our suffering savior, Jesus. And if God knew the right time to pay for the sins of the world and settle once and for all that we and all things could be renewed and transformed, then maybe God always knows the right time for all things to play out both now and for eternity.

Not long ago, I shared with a few friends that there have been things I have been praying would come about for months and, in some cases, years. A couple of weeks ago, I began to see movement on some of these very specific prayers. My comment was that I can clearly see God moving in all of these situations, but I can’t see that the timing is right. Yes, I said it. And my intention was humor. I suspect Jesus smiled, maybe laughed. At least, I hope so!

Haven’t you been there as well? We look out into unknown outcomes in many areas of our lives; and we pray for God’s healing, his deliverance, his provision, and his peace. We wait and wait believing that he hears us but wondering if God really understands the timing of our situation.

But as I reflect on Isaiah’s prophetic word and the gospel writers’ historical record and consider Paul’s words that it was at just the right time that Jesus died, it gives me great confidence that even as Jesus endured his suffering that God was moving then as he is moving now at just the right time. We may not yet see what we need, but we can be sure that the one who saw our great need and was willing to suffer and die for our salvation will also bring deliverance in all situations at just the right time.

Father, it is hard for us to express our gratitude for the gift of your son. Even now, we can’t imagine how great the love of our savior was that he would bear our sin that we might be fully redeemed and restored. We thank you as we long for the day when you will one day return to bring the full restoration of all things. We know that your ways are not our ways, and your time is not our time. We surrender to you in humble gratitude. Fill us with your spirit and use us for your kingdom purposes. In Jesus name, Amen.

Your Time with God’s Word
Zechariah 9:9-10, 14; Isaiah 53:1-12; Romans 5:6-8 ESV

Photo by Rod Long on Unsplash
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