Does God Ever Run Late?

As the disciples battled a fierce storm on the Sea of Galilee, they probably were thinking, “Where is Jesus?”

He was watching them. You might say, “Well, Greg, isn’t that a long distance from a mountain to the middle of the Sea of Galilee?”

Yes, but this is the Son of God. He knows everything that is going on. Jesus wasn’t watching the disciples impassively. In fact, I’m sure He was praying for them right there.

The disciples could not see Jesus, but He could see them. He was interceding for them. He was concerned for them. And He was going to take care of them through all of this. They didn’t see Him, but He was there.

Did you know that Jesus is praying for you as well? The Bible says that He is in Heaven, interceding for you right now: “Christ Jesus died for us and was raised to life for us, and he is sitting in the place of honor at God’s right hand, pleading for us” (Romans 8:34 NLT).

After watching, after praying, Jesus came to them. But notice when that was: “About three o’clock in the morning Jesus came toward them, walking on the water” (Matthew 14:25 NLT). That is the last part of the evening, just before the breaking of day. This means the disciples had been at sea, struggling in this radical storm for nine hours.

Why did Jesus wait so long? We don’t know the answer. I don’t think God is ever late, but sometimes it may seem as though He is late. Perhaps Jesus was waiting for them to completely exhaust their resources. It’s been said, “When you get to the end of yourself, you get to the beginning of God.” That is an opportunity for God to show His glory.