My family has a tendency to rush around at the last minute. We might have 1 hour to get ready… and yet the last 5 minutes seem to be a rash of hurried commands and forgotten socks and bathroom visits and quick clean-ups all in an attempt to get in the car. I can't stand this! Drives me crazier than just about anything I can conjure right now… and yet, with five of us plus a dog in the house, I have up to now been powerless to change it.
I can't imagine the Incarnation being so rushed.
It wasn't. In fact, God was amazingly planned, patient, proactive and prompt. He planned out the timing and the event and the people involved for his appointment with the Earth. He patiently worked throughout history, letting us know of the plans but never pre-emptively striking or giving up on us. God proactively prepped, participated and partnered with people over the years to make sure things were ready for the set time. And God made sure he didn't arrive on the scene before it was time… and He certainly made sure not to be late. God was prompt. Galatians 4:4 speaks about "when the time had fully come, God sent His Son." In Mark 1:15, Jesus declared, "The time has come!"
As I read the first chapters of Romans up to this verse (5:6), I am astonished again by the remarkable plan, patience, proactivity and promptness of God. God is like clockwork. Not necessarily predictable in nature… but God does operate with unswerving integrity and dependability…
… and God has acted so faithfully for people that are rushed, late, anxious, angry, chaotic, frustrated, and short of breath. God has planned to be there for people that could no longer find him. God has patiently waited for the right moment to enter into the lives of people that had impatiently thrown themselves onto another path and that now desperately needed his hand. God has proactively worked to redeem relationship with people that had deserted him. And God does all of this at just the right time.
Here's how some different translations speak out the truth of Romans 5:6~
You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. (NIV)
When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners. (NLT)
Christ arrives right on time to make this happen. He didn't, and doesn't, wait for us to get ready. He presented himself for this sacrificial death when we were far too weak and rebellious to do anything to get ourselves ready. And even if we hadn't been so weak, we wouldn't have known what to do anyway. (Message)
For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. (KJV)
While we were yet weak, in due season Christ died for the ungodly. (ASV)
For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. (NASB)