God’s goodness is often manifested in how He nourishes those who depend on Him. Whether man or animal, God cares for His creation. He gives us our meat in due season, and satisfies our desires (Ps 145:15,16). God’s intimate knowledge of us and the timeliness of His actions are perfect.
In Strong’s Concordance the word for God’s “season” in which we are nourished represents the proper time, or season, for an action to occur. The word occurs in Isaiah’s passage concerning our Messiah, “The Lord hath given me the tongue of the learned, that I should know how to speak a word in season to him who is weary . . .” (Is 50:4, KJV). Not only is physical meat given at the proper time, but spiritual meat, or words, are given at the proper time.
Jesus carried this concept of timely ministry to us in His parable of the faithful servant. This servant was found “feeding his fellow servant their meat in due season,” (Mt 24:45 & Lk 12:42). Ministry given at the right time appears to be a heavenly principal. When Jesus was in Bethesda we see that an angel visited a pool there at a certain “season,” (Jn 5:4). Each of the words translated “season” in these New Testament examples signify “proper time.”
God feeds us both physically and spiritually at the proper time. He is not casual or neglectful over our care. God knows that His words will bring deep satisfaction to our soul, just like a good meal brings satisfaction to our bodies. In looking at Isaiah again, we can see that God puts the seeds of nourishment in the words He speaks, and in the words He gives us to speak to others. He provides “seed for the sower and bread for the eater,” (Is 55:10b). The seeds of His Word, being planted in the one who hears them, become nourishing, like bread. God’s words “will not return to Me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it,” (vs 11).
God’s goodness is manifest through us in how we care for our brother, nourishing him in the proper time. Let us be faithful to speak to the weary and encourage each other today, and always, in God’s perfect timing. Amen
