the Week of Proper 24 / Ordinary 29
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Daily Devotionals
Voice of the Lord
Kefa, who had a sword, drew it and struck the slave of the cohen hagadol, cutting off his right ear (John 18:10).
Altz iz gut, nor in der tzait is Yiddish for "Everything is good, but only in its time." When Kefa (Peter) cut off the man's ear, he thought, "Aha, the time is right for the Romans to be vanquished." Yeshua set him straight and healed the man's ear. Kefa's timing was wrong.
Right timing is everything. I am always amazed when I speak the truth to someone, and he reacts as if I have attacked him or missed his real need. Many times it was the right thing to say, but the wrong time to say it. The Scriptures teach that he who sings songs to a heavy heart is like one who takes off someone's garment on a cold day, or like one who pours vinegar on a wound (Proverbs 25:20).
Speaking the truth at the right time is difficult if we have not prepared our hearts to understand what is needed. When truth is combined with the right timing and sensitive words, the result is a three-fold cord that cannot be easily broken.
...wait upon the Lord's timing and learn the right way to speak the truth.
JR
The Voice of the Lord, Copyright © 1998 by the Lewis and Harriet Lederer Foundation, Inc. Published by Messianic Jewish Publishers, Distributed by Messianic Jewish Resources, www.messianicjewish.net. All rights reserved. Used by permission. No part of this article may be reproduced in print or on the web, or transmitted in any form, without the written permission of the publisher.
