Right Place Right Time
Read Right Place Right Time Online
Authors: Joseph Prince
All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Right Place Right Time
ISBN 978-981-08-8380-5
© Copyright Joseph Prince, 2006
Joseph Prince Teaching Resources
All rights reserved under International Copyright Law. Contents and/or cover may not be reproduced in whole or in part in any form without the express written consent of the publisher.
contents
chapter
1
God Appointments
chapter 1
God Appointments
Time And Chance Happen To All
D
o you know people who always seem to be in the right place at the right time? They are always bumping into the right people in the right places at the right times. It may be in a shopping centre, in a lift or at work. And it may occur just when they need extra finances, a new job or a life partner. They happen to meet people who then bless them, or they step into situations where they get blessed just at the right time. Some people call these occurrences “divine interventions”.
Now, have you ever wondered why some people seem to walk in these divine interventions more than others? They attract what the world calls “luck”. But it is not “luck”, it is God’s timing. He knows their needs as well as your needs intimately. He knows when, where, how and by whom your needs are to be met.
Ecclesiastes 3:11 tells us,
“He has made everything beautiful in its time…”
Do you want to be found in His time? Well, I am going to tell you how you can be in the right place at the right time. But first, let’s look at King Solomon’s life.
King Solomon was the richest man who ever lived. To date, no one has come close to being as wealthy as he was. Solomon was the son of King David and he loved the Lord. Although he turned his heart away from the Lord towards the end of his life, he came back to the Lord before he died.
Solomon had something to say about timing. He wrote the book of Ecclesiastes. In Ecclesiastes 9:11–12, he said:
11
I returned and saw under the sun that — the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, nor bread to the wise, nor riches to men of understanding, nor favour to men of skill; but time and chance happen to them all.
12
For man also does not know his time: Like fish taken in a cruel net, like birds caught in a snare, so the sons of men are snared in an evil time, when it falls suddenly upon them
.
Notice what Solomon said by the Holy Spirit:
“the race is not to the swift”
. Now, that means that the winner of the race is not necessarily the fastest person. I can hear all the slow people shouting, “Thank God!” Solomon went on to say,
“nor the battle to the strong”
. In other words, the one who wins the battle is not necessarily the stronger one. “Thank God!” say the weak. Next, Solomon said that men of understanding are not the only ones who gain riches:
“nor bread to the wise, nor riches to men of understanding”
. Here is the most interesting statement:
“nor favour to men of skill; but time and chance happen to them all”
.
Solomon is telling us that those who are better, wiser and stronger don’t win the war, don’t win the race, don’t get the riches and don’t win the favour. But those who are in the right place at the right time win the race, and enjoy favour and success!
Only God can put you in the right place at the right time and give you good success.
The only one who can put you in the right place at the right time is God. You can try through self-effort to better position yourself for success by studying more, working harder and cultivating more strategic relationships. You may end up being slightly faster, slightly stronger and more well-connected, but only God can put you in the right place at the right time and give you good success.
There are also people who find themselves in the wrong place at the wrong time. They get caught in a “net” and they don’t even know why. Ecclesiastes 9:12 says:
12
For man also does not know his time: Like fish taken in a cruel net, like birds caught in a snare, so the sons of men are snared in an evil time, when it falls suddenly upon them
.
This describes the category of people who are not blessed. They are like
“fish taken in a cruel net”
. Everything seems to go wrong for them. Of all the flights that take off at an airport in a single day, they end up taking the flight that crashes. They get caught in evil circumstances and they can’t get out of them. These people find themselves in the wrong place at the wrong time.
But those who are in the right place at the right time don’t get into trouble. Instead, they get the blessings. They get the favour, they get the provisions, they get the riches.
You Need God For ‘Right Happenings’
You may attend motivational seminars conducted by people who will teach you how to be a self-made success. They will tell you that you must plan your life, plan your day, follow your vision and set your pace. But Proverbs 16:9 tells us,
“A man’s heart plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps.”
If we are honest and humble enough, we will acknowledge our need for God in our lives.
When you depend on yourself,
you
will have to make sure that everything is all right. But I have found that you can plan your day, your year and your life all you want, but the rain may fall, a strong wind may blow and a tree branch may drop right on your head! God is not behind the unfortunate incident — you were just in the wrong place at the wrong time. And as you lie there injured in the rain, you begin to wonder, “I planned my day so well, what happened?”
Do you want to be in the right place at the right time? Then trust God to lead you there. I have seen people in our church who had been experiencing financial hardships when suddenly, they bumped into an acquaintance or friend who soon employed them. The friend just happened to have a vacancy in his company and discovered that the Christian has a talent that was needed in the company. I have seen companies become blessed when Christians were hired through “right happening” encounters.
How does all this happen? Some of you might say, “Well, they just happened to bump into each other!” My friend, it is not coincidence that brought them together, it is the Holy Spirit.
So many times, I have seen God bless people in our church with His favour. I have seen people faced with financial crises, and when they prayed to the Lord, He put them in the right place at the right time. Financial transactions took place that delivered them from financial distress. Now, they didn’t necessarily have better products or services. In fact, their competitors sometimes had better products and services. But they were just in the right place at the right time. The timing was right. The client needed products quickly and these people happened to be there to meet the need.
You may be out of a job right now. You may want a wife or husband. You may need to sell more products for your company. So believe today that in the days to come, God is going to prosper your way by putting you in the right place at the right time!
chapter
2
God Coordinates Timing
chapter 2
God Coordinates Timing
‘Right Timing’ In The Scriptures
E
cclesiastes 9:11 says that
“time and chance happen to them all”
. I preached a message based on this truth in December 2001.I remember that when I was preparing the message, I heard God say to me, “Look at the reference.” I said, “I know the reference.” He repeated, “Look at the reference.” So I looked and noticed the numbers “9:11”. And I remembered that the September 11 terrorist attacks happened just a few months ago. Isn’t it an interesting reference for a verse on being in the right place at the right time?
What God is trying to tell us in Ecclesiastes 9:11 is this: To succeed in life, to escape disasters or accidents, you need to be in the right place at the right time. You see, it doesn’t matter how beautiful you are or how many degrees you have because it takes God to put you in the right place at the right time. When God puts you in the right place at the right time, you end up doing the right thing or meeting the right people, and you prosper. My friend, wouldn’t you want to be found in the right place at the right time?