Molly Interviews Jennifer Slattery
Molly Noble Bull:
Hi. Today I am interviewing Jennifer Slattery. She writes for Jennifer Slattery Writes for Christ to the World Ministries, the Internet Café Devotions, Samie Sisters, and the Christian Pulse. Visit her devotional blog, Jennifer Slattery Lives out Loud to find out more about her and her writing. Welcome Jennifer. Tell us what you mean when you say, “Just the Right Time?”
Jennifer:
I don’t know about you, but often I think God and I are on totally different schedules. When I want to go forward, He pulls me back. When I’m dragging my heels, He nudges me forward. Over the years, I’ve learned by experience His timing is always perfect.
Molly:
I agree. The Lord’s timing is always perfect. Please, tell us more.
Jennifer:
The Bible is full of divine moments enacted after long, difficult waiting periods. Consider the ancient Israelites and how they slaved in Egypt waiting for their deliverer. Or think about David, the anointed king, who spent years hiding out in caves as the ruling king sought his life. What about Joseph? You remember him—the dreamer—the one who would one day rule over his brothers? The one who was thrown in a pit, sold into slavery, spent seven years in prison, to one day stand as the second in command to all of Egypt. What do you think he was thinking while he slept on the prison floor?
Molly:
My mind would say that the Lord forgot about me, if I found myself on a prison floor. My heart would say, “Have faith in God.” What say you?”
Jennifer:
How many nights did his heart cry out to God, asking, “Where are you? When will Your promise come?” But each time God did come through, at just the right time.
Molly:
God is good. But imagine what the Children of Israel must have thought, waiting for the promised Messiah.
Jennifer:
For years the people of Israel waited for their Messiah. They had the promises—from Genesis chapter three all the way through Malachi. While evil kings rose to the throne, Isaiah spoke of an eternal just Ruler. When the Israelites were taken into Babylonian captivity they cried out for a Savior. I’m sure many felt as if God had abandoned them. That God couldn’t see them.
Molly:
I’ve been in that situation—many times.
Jennifer:
But God hadn’t forgotten, and He wasn’t off-duty. He was waiting for just the right time. Jesus came at just the right time.
Molly:
He always does.
Jennifer:
Step back about 2000 years to the Roman world. Greek and Roman development helped make the first century AD the perfect time for Christ to come on the scene. The roads created by the Romans increased traffic and commerce, allowing the rapid-fire spread of Christianity to the ancient world. The Romans developed a sense of unity under their universal law that helped pave the way for the idea of monotheism. (A large proportion of ancients were polytheists.)
Molly:
Monotheism. The dictionary calls that the doctrine that there is only one God. And polytheism is the belief in and the worship of more than one god. So what you are saying is that the Romans were prepared for the worship of only one God at just the right time. Awesome.
Jennifer:
“The sense of solidarity within the empire created an environment favorable to the reception of a gospel that proclaimed the unity of the human race in the fact that all men are under the penalty of sin and in the fact that all are offered a salvation that makes them part of a universal organism–Christianity.” (Cairns, p. 35)
Non-Romans could become Roman citizens and people could move freely throughout the Roman Empire. Such travel would have been difficult prior to the reign of Augustus Caesar in 27-14 BC. As Rome conquered neighboring lands, natives began to question their polytheistic views. If their gods had abandoned them into the hands of another, then perhaps their gods were not as powerful as they thought.
Molly:
Interesting. And then what?
Jennifer:
And then came the Greeks and the expansion of ideas that they brought. They brought a universal language that later aided in the communication of the gospel. They also brought the study of philosophy and a love for debate. Philosophers like Plato and Socrates encouraged people to look for an eternal Being. All of these things set the stage for Christianity.
Molly:
Isn’t it amazing that God had all this planned hundreds if not thousands of years in advance?
Jennifer:
And I could go on, but in a nutshell–Christ came at just the right time. At the fullness of time. When all the pieces of the puzzle were locked in place.
Molly:
Praise the Lord.
Jennifer:
Just like Paul says in Galatians 4:4, “But when the time had fully come, God sent His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those under the law, that we might receive the full rights of sons.”
And the Bible records this story–God’s love story–throughout its pages. A love story that will ultimately conclude in a great wedding feast. Are you coming?
Molly:
Jennifer, do you have any closing words for those who need this message the most?
Jennifer:
Maybe you’re in Babylonian captivity right now, crying out for a Savior. Now is the time of salvation. Maybe you’re enslaved by the problems of this world. God sees you. He loves you. And He’s coming. Even now He’s working out His plan. His good plan. His loving plan. Hold tight.
Molly:
Thanks, Jennifer. You have inspired me, and I feel sure you have inspired others as well. I hope many will comment on this interview.
I would like to close with a blessing found in the six chapter of the Book of Numbers, verses 24 to 27.
[The Lord bless thee and keep thee: The Lord make his face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee: The Lord lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace. And they shall put my name on the children of Israel; and I will bless them.
Again, please leave a comment. Then stay tuned for the bibliography.
1) Cairns, Earle E. Christianity Through the Centuries. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan; 1954.
2 comments:
You're right. God's timing is always perfect. How blessed we are He is interested in our lives and directs our paths.
Thanks for having me, Molly! And Ada, amen!
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