Right Place at the Right Time

Have you ever been surprised to find yourself in the right place at just the right time? Perhaps it was the perfect photo opportunity or the pleasant surprise that the person in line ahead of you decided to pay it forward and bless you with a free cup of coffee. We have all had these moments, and if we are honest, we have that friend who seems to always be in the right place at the right time more than we are. How do they do it?

There is more at stake than being the lucky caller to get through to the radio station for free tickets. God desires to bless us, to grow us, and to teach us. We are talking about the need of God’s children to position themselves to be in the right place at the right time, in order to hear from Him. How do we do that?

LEARN BY EXAMPLE

In Acts 10:9-33, we read of Peter, who was challenged by God in a supernatural way. God wanted to teach Peter a lesson about the scope of His love and increase his understanding of the Gospel. We know a lot about Peter from the Bible and from history. This man left his fishing business and chose to follow Jesus. This man walked on water…literally. This man defended Jesus in the Garden. This man also failed miserably and denied that he even knew Jesus. However, this man ran to the empty tomb and would become the key leader in establishing the church in Acts. Even though this man was godly and full of amazing life experiences, he still had things to learn.

THE RIGHT PLACE

For Peter, he understood the need to be in the right place. In Acts 10:9, we find him faithfully practicing the discipline of prayer. This was not an occasional practice. For Peter, it was a daily discipline. On this particular day, Peter would experience a supernatural vision from God in order to learn an important lesson. Clearly, this was out of the ordinary, but it was his discipline of praying daily that positioned him to receive the message God had for him.

For you and me, we must recognize the need to routinely practice the disciplines of studying God’s Word and prayer. This exercise may sometimes feel simply routine, but it will also help us to stay in the right place and in the right position to be ready to hear from God.

THE RIGHT TIME

For Peter, God was orchestrating an encounter with Cornelius so that Peter’s understanding of the Gospel could be matured and so that Cornelius and his household could hear the hope that can only be discovered in Jesus Christ. God was working in and around Peter long before he knew anything, and at just the right time, God spoke.

We must learn to trust God’s timing and continually practice the discipline of spending time with God in prayer and in the study of His Word. Perhaps today, as you exercise your own personal discipline, you will find yourself in the right place at just the right time.