The Fullness of Time
BUT WHEN THE FULLNESS OF TIME HAD COME, GOD SENT FORTH HIS SON, BORN OF
WOMAN, BORN UNDER THE LAW, TO REDEEM THOSE WHO WERE UNDER THE LAW, SO
THAT WE MIGHT RECEIVE ADOPTION AS SONS. GALATIANS 4:4-5 (ESV)
Waiting is not something human beings thrive at doing. Each successive generation gets less skilled in the art of waiting, especially as technology in our hands connects us to people, information, shopping, and virtual entertainment at all times. Our patience in waiting is thin. We want immediate fulfillment and satisfaction. Even waiting for our technology to update or load is far too inconvenient for our tastes.
However, waiting is the posture that marked the people of God for several millennia. The promises of God given throughout history required His people to watch and wait for their fulfillment. Many waited and never saw their fulfillment in their lifetimes. This reminds us that God plays the long-game and has no problem with letting His plans unfold over long stretches of time. We want instant results. Promises given to Adam and Eve, Abraham, Moses, David, and through the mouths of the prophets spanned generations of time. The people of God waited.
What were they waiting for? Or perhaps the better question is: Whom were they waiting for? The promised One. The Messiah. They awaited the king whose kingdom would have no end. They waited for the Suffering Servant (Isaiah 53) who would take the iniquities of God’s people onto Himself and bury their sins. They awaited the light to the nations who would reconcile every nation, tribe, and tongue back to God.
The waiting ended when the fullness of time came. In our passage today, we see that the waiting was not arbitrary. God’s timing always connects to His plans. The plan of God to send His Son into the world spans back to eternity’s past. Its fulfillment was determined, not spontaneous. Paul tells us that when that fullness of time came, God sent His Son into the world. And He did it just as He said He would—born of a virgin (Isaiah 7:14).
The promised Messiah came, born under the law, so He could redeem those under the law. He experienced hunger, thirst, pain, and fatigue. His knees popped when he got up from the floor. It took Him a few steps in the morning to get His legs walking normally. He was human. Jesus came under the law we are born into so that He could redeem us. He had to become a man in order to save man. And all of this came to pass when the fullness of God’s plans came to fruition.
In our own lives today, we can rest confident that God’s promises come to pass. His timing is perfect. His plans ripen in due time. It is for us to trust His plans and timing. We cling to the promises and wait. He forms us into the people He wants us to be as we wait for the fulfillment of all He has said. Jesus’ birth reminds us it is so.
Questions for Reflection
This advent devotion, Waiting for Light to Come, was written by Erik Reed and borrowed with permission from Knowing Jesus Ministries. You can find the original publication and more information at https://www.knowingjesusministries.co
Waiting is not something human beings thrive at doing. Each successive generation gets less skilled in the art of waiting, especially as technology in our hands connects us to people, information, shopping, and virtual entertainment at all times. Our patience in waiting is thin. We want immediate fulfillment and satisfaction. Even waiting for our technology to update or load is far too inconvenient for our tastes.
However, waiting is the posture that marked the people of God for several millennia. The promises of God given throughout history required His people to watch and wait for their fulfillment. Many waited and never saw their fulfillment in their lifetimes. This reminds us that God plays the long-game and has no problem with letting His plans unfold over long stretches of time. We want instant results. Promises given to Adam and Eve, Abraham, Moses, David, and through the mouths of the prophets spanned generations of time. The people of God waited.
What were they waiting for? Or perhaps the better question is: Whom were they waiting for? The promised One. The Messiah. They awaited the king whose kingdom would have no end. They waited for the Suffering Servant (Isaiah 53) who would take the iniquities of God’s people onto Himself and bury their sins. They awaited the light to the nations who would reconcile every nation, tribe, and tongue back to God.
The waiting ended when the fullness of time came. In our passage today, we see that the waiting was not arbitrary. God’s timing always connects to His plans. The plan of God to send His Son into the world spans back to eternity’s past. Its fulfillment was determined, not spontaneous. Paul tells us that when that fullness of time came, God sent His Son into the world. And He did it just as He said He would—born of a virgin (Isaiah 7:14).
The promised Messiah came, born under the law, so He could redeem those under the law. He experienced hunger, thirst, pain, and fatigue. His knees popped when he got up from the floor. It took Him a few steps in the morning to get His legs walking normally. He was human. Jesus came under the law we are born into so that He could redeem us. He had to become a man in order to save man. And all of this came to pass when the fullness of God’s plans came to fruition.
In our own lives today, we can rest confident that God’s promises come to pass. His timing is perfect. His plans ripen in due time. It is for us to trust His plans and timing. We cling to the promises and wait. He forms us into the people He wants us to be as we wait for the fulfillment of all He has said. Jesus’ birth reminds us it is so.
Questions for Reflection
- What is an experience where you grew impatient in waiting for something?
- What kind of temptations confront us when we have to wait for something to happen?
- What does Galatians 4:4-5 teach us about God’s timing and promises?
- How does waiting for God’s promises to be fulfilled today grow our faith?
This advent devotion, Waiting for Light to Come, was written by Erik Reed and borrowed with permission from Knowing Jesus Ministries. You can find the original publication and more information at https://www.knowingjesusministries.co
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