God and time - he's got all that's needed for all of us

God has, quite literally, all the time in the world for each one of us.

-Philip Yancey

I'm a fan of time.

One of my favorite TV offerings is the program "Doctor Who" about an eccentric time traveler, with clever plots often revolving around time. And in real life, it's interesting to me how the timing of events have been so key in history and in my own life.

• A gifted, somewhat maverick, neurosurgeon winds up in a middle-size Southern city for a short time. In that small space of time, a family with a young child suddenly needs that surgeon to save the child's life.
• A woman facing Alzheimer's disease faces a move to be closer to one of her children. A facility just opens a new wing, offering as much independence as wanted but care if needed. As the disease progresses, the same facility builds an unparalleled skilled nursing facility next door. The woman is cared for in comfort close to a loving family in her last few months.
• The 39-year-old me has a stroke - two years after government approval of the clot-busing drug tissue plasminogen activator - in a small Southern town. A neurologist who happens to be qualified to use said drug happened to be practicing there, again for a short time. Drug delivered and recovery occurs.

Now, I'm sure you could find plenty of instances where things go bad, not good. And one day, I will stand before God and perhaps understand why that is.

Until then, I will muddle through in my attempt to grasp God and time. Read the book Acts. So much of the action is all about timing - read about Pentecost, the story of Philip, the conversion of Saul into Paul.

Not long ago, I ran across the Philip Yancey quote about God and time. It's hard to wrap the mind around the entire idea, but I can see what he's saying in human terms - time doesn't control God; God controls time. You should follow this link to read the entire article.