“ Is It Time ? ”

“The fullness of time” is  a very thought provoking term. Scripture used it when describing the timing of the Lord’s coming to earth as a child….. “In the fullness of time, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law.” (Gal. 4:4)

“The fullness of time”…. the right time for things to happen… preparations are completed, everything’ in place, and now it’s time. 

At our community’s  New Year mass a few months ago, when the Galatians passage was read, the thought came, a prophetic sense, that 2023 would be the right time for God to answer many of our prayers… even prayers that we have been raising to the Lord for years. Maybe we’ve had real faith and trust that the Lord would answer these prayers, but this new year would be a time when we would actually see these answers. It certainly was an encouraging thought, but hopefully more than that.

Maybe because I’m from Missouri, “The Show Me State”, I’m pretty conservative and cautious in making big proclamations…. I need evidence… you need to “show me”. In spite of this, I’m seeing signs of God answering some of my long held prayers… maybe just the beginning of the full answer, but something is going on. It’s a bit like noticing the rain from the storm letting up a bit, and the sky clearing, with a patch of blue in the distance; the storms not over, but almost. My most important prayers are about the healing of the sick and the conversion to the Lord of loved ones. I’m seeing signs of healing and conversion… perhaps early stages, but real movement. 

Recently I’ve been praying for one of my brothers who is ill and hoping that at the right time he would receive the Sacrament of the Sick and the Apostolic Blessing. Being 2,000 miles away, it’s not easy to make any of that happen. Well, today I was able to reach the Catholic Chaplain at the hospital and he said he would visit him in the ICU and bring the sacrament. Wow, I was brought to tears as I pictured him bringing the Lord to him as he’s alone in that desperate place. Later that day, the chaplain facetimed me from the ICU and we prayed together over my brother. It was wonderful. 

In my opinion, it seems that the time is ripe for more dramatic answers to prayer, time even for “signs and wonders”. It’s a desperate time and we need desperate or great answers. May this desperate age illicit God’s magnificent responses… may it be the time, the fullness of time, for the Lord to act. 

I recall the song, “The Day of the Lord Is At Hand”… a powerful and moving hymn that describes the Lord returning on a magnificent White Horse, the army of heaven behind him, and the sword of the spirit in his hand…he will smite the enemy… Halleluiah !!! 

If you ask me, I think it’s time for the Lord to return in power to fully bring about the kingdom of God. And maybe the introduction to this time will be answers to our prayers, old and new. As this fullness of time begins to arrive, let’s open our eyes and look around and see the glory of God in our midst. And that would be very good news.