When God Has Perfect Timing (And a Sense of Humor)

Have you ever faced a situation that seemed utterly hopeless, only to witness a last-minute miracle? The remarkable rescue of Dallas Theological Seminary reveals the perfect timing of divine provision.
Founded in 1924 by Dr. Lewis Sperry Chafer, Dallas Theological Seminary was destined to become one of the world's premier biblical training institutions. Its graduates—including influential leaders like David Jeremiah, Chuck Swindoll, Tony Evans, and Andy Stanley—would ultimately impact millions worldwide. But this remarkable legacy nearly ended before it truly began.
Today's episode is a powerful reminder that God sees the future impact of the people and institutions He sustains. He works in His timing, not ours, He meets the needs precisely when required. As Philippians 4:19 promises, "God will supply all your needs from His glorious riches." Whether you're facing financial struggles, career uncertainty, or personal challenges today, remember that God's provision often arrives at the eleventh hour, teaching us patience and deepening our faith. The key is to keep believing, keep praying, and trust that God will come through—perhaps in ways more surprising and perfect than we could imagine.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:05):
Good morning and welcome to Starting Right with
Danny Mac.
I'm going to be here everyMonday to Friday to help you get
a great five-minute start toyour day.
So grab your cup of coffee, sitback, relax and let me help you
start your day right.
Hey, good morning everybody.
It's so good to have you hereagain.

(00:26):
I want to tell you a great storytoday about how God worked to
save one of the truly greatBible teaching schools in North
America.
You may have heard of it DallasTheological Seminary.
It was founded in 1924 by DrLewis Sperry Chafer.
Back then it was a small school, but over the years, dallas

(00:46):
Theological Seminary has becomeknown as one of the very best
schools of theology in the world.
It now has campuses throughoutthe United States and literally
thousands and thousands ofstudents have gone through this
school to become preachers andteachers and missionaries who
are living as powerful witnessesto the truth and power of God's

(01:07):
Word and declaring that Word ofGod to many who need to hear it
, who need the truths of God towork in their lives.
Some of the really powerfulpreachers and teachers that have
been through the school includeDavid Jeremiah, hal Lindsey,
chuck Swindoll, howard Hendricks, andy Stanley, tony Evans and
many, many more.

(01:28):
These powerful preachers allbuilt their biblical foundation
and got their training fromDallas Theological Seminary,
which has now literally impactedthe world through its students.
But the power of the school andthe work of the school almost
didn't happen.
It seems that shortly afterDallas Seminary was founded in

(01:50):
1924, it almost folded.
It was on the verge ofbankruptcy and all the creditors
were ready to foreclose.
At 12 noon on a particular daythat morning, the founders of
the school met in thepresident's office to pray.
That God would provide.
In that prayer meeting wasHarry Ironside.
When it was his turn to pray,he said in his refreshingly

(02:14):
candid way Lord, we know thatthe cattle on a thousand hills
are yours.
Please sell some of them andsend us the money.
Just about that time a tallTexan in boots and an open
collared shirt strolled into thebusiness office.
Howdy, he said to the secretaryI just sold two carloads of

(02:35):
cattle over in Fort Worth.
I've been trying to make abusiness deal go through but it
just won't work.
I feel God wants me to givethis money to the seminary.
And I don't know if he neededit or not, but here's the check.
And he handed it over.
The secretary took the checkand, knowing that time was of
the essence, she went to thedoor of the prayer meeting and

(02:57):
timidly tapped on it.
Dr Kafer answered the door andtook the check from her hand.
When he looked at the amount,it was for, the exact sum of the
debt.
Then he recognized the name onthe check as that of the
cattleman.
Turning to Dr Ironside, he saidHarry, god sold the cattle.

(03:18):
I love that story.
God sold the cattle.
This story is especially for anyof you who think that God does
not have a sense of humor.
Of course he does.
But this is much more than justa funny story.
This is a story of God'sprovision at a time when this
school really needed it.
You see, god already understoodwhat was going to come out of

(03:43):
this school the great teachersand leaders who would be trained
and sent out to change theworld.
God knew all about that.
So God made sure that thisschool had what it needed to be
able to complete its mission inthis world.
And God will do the same foryou and me In Philippians,
chapter 4 and verse 19,.
Paul writes the same God whotakes care of me will supply all

(04:06):
of your needs from His gloriousriches, which have been given
to us in Christ Jesus.
God has promised to take careof our needs.
But if you take a look back,even at this story about Dallas
Seminary, look at the timing itwas the last day, really the
last hours and look at what thepeople were doing.
They'd gathered together topray.

(04:27):
They were seeking God's answersin their situation.
They weren't panicking, theyweren't running around pulling
their hair out.
They were seeking God and Godcame through at just the right
time.
I can't tell you how many timesGod has done that in my life
where he's been there for us.
He's met our needs, he's guidedus, he's helped us, but he's

(04:49):
done it in his timing and not inmy timing or my wife's timing
or anybody else's timing otherthan his own, and he's always
done it in his way.
It's actually kind of fun to seehow God surprises you sometimes
and how he works out thosethings for your life, how he
meets those needs, how he sendspeople and situations along and
guides you and provides andstrengthens for you.

(05:10):
But it comes from a life thatis dedicated to Christ, just
like that school was, and itcomes when people pray Prayer of
belief that, god, you can dothis and I believe you will, and
that's what we need to do withour lives.
We need to hang on to our faith.
We need to hang on to ourbelief that God can and will
keep his promises for us.
He is a faithful and loving Godwho will be there for you.

(05:33):
I hope you have a great day, myfriends.
Keep believing, keep havingfaith, keep knowing that God
will meet all of your needs.
Have a great day, everyone.
We'll talk again tomorrow.
Thank you for joining us today,and I invite you to join us
every Monday to Friday, righthere at Starting Right, with

(05:54):
Danny Mac.