9 And after He had said these things, He was lifted up while they were looking on, and a cloud received Him out of their sight. 10 And as they were gazing intently into the sky while He was going, behold, two men in white clothing stood beside them. 11 They also said, “ Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into the sky? This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in just the same way as you have watched Him go into heaven
(Acts 1:9-11 NASB)
I’m sure that many things can be seen in this passage, but I’m focussing on one that really stands out to me at this point in time: God’s plan and God’s timing.
v9: Everything happens according to God’s divine plan. Jesus did not have to ask to be taken into Heaven when He was finished speaking. He spoke, and then Heaven received Him.
v10: Again, we see the God’s timing at work. We don’t any after-thought happening here, or any spur of the moment “I’ve got a good idea” happening. As soon as Heaven had received Jesus two angels appeared to pass on a vital message.
v11: These angels, appearing like men dressed in white, didn’t just come for the fun of it. They weren’t just there to put on a great show, or to stick their noses into where they were not needed. God sent them at this precise moment with a specific message to pass on to the disciples, and this message reveals more of God’s divine plan, which we will see happen at the appointed time.
God didn’t miss a beat, everything happened like clockwork. Everything continues to happen like clockwork. A clock isn’t going to strike 12 when it is only 9am. The clock has to wait 3 more hours before it can strike 12. Likewise, God isn’t going to move His plans ahead, or delay His plans to suit our whims, or our impatience, or our fears, or whatever else might be influencing us. We need to trust intimately in God for all things, whether we know of them or not, whether they come soon as we might prefer or they come in God’s timing…