Thoughts from Mark "Hat" Rackley

God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, through the shedding of his blood—to be received by faith. He did this to demonstrate his righteousness, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished—he did it to demonstrate his righteousness at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus.
Where, then, is boasting? It is excluded. Because of what law? The law that requires works? No, because of the law that requires faith. For we maintain that a person is justified by faith apart from the works of the law. Or is God the God of Jews only? Is he not the God of Gentiles too? Yes, of Gentiles too, since there is only one God, who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through that same faith. Do we, then, nullify the law by this faith? Not at all! Rather, we uphold the law.

• Romans 3:25-31

“Just in time, I found you just in time
Before you came my time was running low
I was lost, the losing dice were tossed
My bridges all were crossed, no where to go

Now you’re here, now I know just where I’m going
No more doubt or fears I’ve found my way
For love came just in time, you found me just in time
And changed my lonely life that lucky day

Now you’re here, now I know just where I’m going
No more doubt or fears I’ve found my way
For love came just in time, you found me just in time
And changed my lonely life that lucky day.”

• Betty Comden and Adolph Green Just in Time

The only distinction that this song needs to be transformed from a love song to a worship song is to define that the love in the song pertains to God loving us.  He finds us in His perfect time – just in time.

Our time starts out running low; we just don’t realize it.  Sometimes not until it is too late.  Sometimes all our dice have to be tossed and our bridges have been crossed before we see the Light.

In classic warfare, a river is a boundary that is hard to cross if there are no bridges.  As an engineer, I knew how to build bridges, make temporary bridges, and make ferries.  But I also knew how to blow up bridges to prevent the enemy’s advance.  The song is hinting that the enemy has already crossed the bridge, and there is no safety having a river nearby.  The singer sings of desperate times.

We have no where to go, and we do not know where we are going.  And we may never find “our” way; we find The Way.

We sometimes speak of finding God, but God finds us, sometimes in the gutter without bridges and other means of escape.  He knows where we are, but we do not realize until it becomes desperate that we do not know where we are going.  But the Holy Spirit instills in us that something is wrong, and God is the answer.  God is already there, but He says that He loves us, and we fall into His arms.

So defining that God is the love that came just in time changes the song.  But if I were singing it, I might end with “And changed my life this blessed day.”

Here is Dean Martin singing Just in Time.

Dean Martin had that ease as he delivered the lyrics.

Soli Deo Gloria.  Only to God be the Glory.