Stobbe Literary Agency

When in God's Time ...

As we think of Christmas we focus on God sending his Son into the world to redeem the world, but may overlook a key truth that has personal application. The apostle Paul touches that truth when he writes to the Galatians, “But when the time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, burn under law, to redeem those under law, that we might receive the full rights of a son (Gal. 4:4).” The key phrase is “when the time had fully come,” which we easily apply to the fulfillment of prophecy concerning the coming of the Messiah, but could that concept have application in our life as writers? More specifically, does God have a time in mind when whatever we have written, be it poem, article, book, church drama, screenplay, should be introduced to the public, when writer, editor and publisher come together to deliver a creative writer’s final version in print? Or is it all a matter of delivering a finely honed, properly edited manuscript and hoping for the best?

Let’s check into Jesus’ life and examine what he says about timing. There’s Jesus at the wedding in Cana and his mother tells him they have run out of wine. Jesus’ response is, “My time has not yet come.” But then he does turn water into wine, which tells me his response to his mother has a much wider significance—that the time for his unveiling as the Messiah had not yet come. ...