Just the Right Time

“So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up.” Galatians 6:9

My brother lived on the road for sixteen years, hitchhiking back and forth across the country. He once hitchhiked all the way around the Great Lakes. He would  find work and play music for a while before moving on to another obscure place. All this was before the days of cell phones and internet communication. I was often left not knowing whether my brother was dead or alive. I have to confess I worried about my brother quite a bit during those days. He wasn’t exactly making the best life-choices at the time. I spent a lot of time on my knees asking God to protect him. Although I love my brother more than I can express with words, I found myself growing weary. 

One morning I was at a prayer meeting before work, when my pastor walked over to where I was sitting. My head bowed in prayer, I was pleading with God once again on behalf of my brother. My pastor, not knowing what was going on I’m my thoughts, gently placed his hand on my head and spoke this verse over me. “Don’t get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time you will reap a harvest of blessing if you don’t give up.”

Although I was greatly encouraged, I could not know in that moment how timely that word would be for me. It wasn’t long until my brother gave up his wandering ways and decided to settle down in one place. I never gave up. From that day on, I never grew tired of doing good. 

My brother has been off the road and living a stable and settled life for over twenty years now. I can’t help but wonder where he would be if I had given up on interceding for him, if I had grown tired of doing what is good.