I'm always excited to hear new music from Jason. In 2019, he released his EP, Order, the first of three EPs Jason released over a year’s time, mirroring the themes of the pandemic in many ways. The names of each EP are "Order," "Disorder," and "Reorder."
In these three volumes, Jason tells a story about the process of transformation. It's order when life goes your way. It's disorder when life gets out of your control. It's reorder when you persevere through hardship becoming wiser, stronger, and more humble.
Like Jason's previous releases, the album's central theme is about finding our identity in Christ, being honest and transparent with ourselves and others to allow God's grace to shine in our lives by demonstrating how in our weakness, His strength is made perfect.
Without a doubt, Jason is an anointed songwriter and singer, and he has a profound way of piercing my soul with his poignant words, tender singing and inspirational truths. I had the chance to speak with Jason about “Right on Time.”
Please tell me the personal story behind this song.
I’m proud of "Right on Time," more than any other song on my Order, Disorder, Reorder album. Originally, when I was dreaming up what Reorder, the third EP, would be, I thought of a group of songs based on words that were spoken to me that changed everything.
God created the world by speaking order into the chaos. We, who are created in His image, are a version of that. So, with that in mind, I combed through my history and asked, "What were the times that changed everything?". I came up with a few ideas and wrote a bunch of songs (not all them ended up on the album). Going through that process, I noticed the themes of “order, disorder, reorder,” “through,” and “bring it all” resonated with that theme, along with this song.
“Right on Time” came from a moment when I was curled up on the floor in the bathroom crying out to God. I was afraid my life was slipping through His hands. It was something that had always carried me through up until then.
It seemed clear that my marriage was going to end in divorce. I’d never prayed harder for anything than for God to show up and do whatever it took to change that. I was laying on the floor at three in the morning sobbing, feeling utterly alone and hopeless.
Then, I heard something in my heart, saying, “Maybe this is all right on time.” Maybe the change and transformation I’d been praying for over many years converged in my life to make the message available to me. I believed those words in that moment. They brought me a lot of peace and hope. They helped me to receive my circumstances as something I could put in God’s hands. Something He could use to make me better.
Rather than feeling anxiety, God's words helped me to accept my reality. They helped me to ask the Lord to guide me through that process. Something about the idea that things happen right on time to give you the opportunity to grow from the situation is the theme of this song.
Which Bible verses connect to the message of the song?
2 Corinthians 3:18(NKJV): “But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.”
Proverbs 3:5-6(NKJV): "Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to Him, and He will make your paths straight."
Psalm 37:4-6(NKJV): "Delight yourself also in the LORD, And He shall give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the LORD, Trust also in Him, And He shall bring it to pass. He shall bring forth your righteousness as the light, And your justice as the noonday."
Isaiah 41:10(NKJV): "Fear not, for I am with you; Be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, Yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand."
Philippians 1:6(NKJV): "Being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ."
Philippians 4:6-7(NIV): "Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."
Philippians 4:11-13(NKJV): “Not that I speak in regard to need, for I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content: I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”
Romans 8:28 (VOICE): "We are confident that God is able to orchestrate everything to work toward something good and beautiful when we love Him and accept His invitation to live according to His plan."
What is the takeaway message?
My marriage did end in divorce. But, that didn’t affect the truth I experienced from God's words: "Maybe this is all right on time."
Reorder is about reshaping the idea of who we would like to be. The best metaphor I can think of is about getting exercise. If you don’t do it, then you don’t get in shape. You can also do too much and injure yourself. The idea is to be pressed beyond your current limits and break down your muscle so it grows back stronger.
The human spirit is something like a muscle in that it must be pushed to its limits and torn down to grow. Three words to describe this process of transformation are order, disorder, and reorder. Order is when everything is going according to our plan. We’re using all that we’ve learned so far to put our lives together with stability and security.
Disorder is when our plan falls apart. We find we aren’t as in control as we thought we would be. In fact, there is more we need to learn. Reminded of our vulnerability, we are broken down and opened enough to meet with God in a profound way.
Reorder is when we emerge from disorder transformed by what we have learned. We have met with God in a way that changed us. Now, we are wiser, kinder, humbler, and stronger than before.
Lyrics
I know that seasons change, but still it always take me by surprise I pretend I'm in control, arranging all the pieces of my life
Then one day my son stopped holding my hand And I knew I had to let the boy become a man If it were up to me it came too soon But maybe he was right on time Right on time Right on time
I could see the smoke long before my life went up in flames But some things must be lost if they ever have a hope of being saved
Lying on the bathroom floor in tears Praying for a miracle to come and meet me here I was afraid it was too late But maybe I was right on time Right on time Right on time
When you're falling apart And it's breaking your heart You can't see any reason Or find any meaning There's a valley you have to get through You can't hurry 'cause it won't let you But it's leading us somewhere And when we finally get there We're right on time
I'm sorry for the times I was afraid my life was slipping through Your hands
When we look back at the end of our lives
Will we see the way You made straight every crooked line? Maybe by then we won't be surprised To find that You were right on time Right on time Right on time
Closing Thoughts
Once you adopt the words of this song into your heart, you will remember the truth that Jesus has always been, He is today, and He always will be the one who makes a way for us, even when it seems impossible. That's something to remember and rest upon.
In any situation, God will make a way for His children. As we look at the fallen world around us, we all need to lift our eyes up to God and put all our faith and hope in Him. It's in our weakness that God is made strong. It's only through God's grace that we can overcome our emotional conflicts of feeling invisible and conspicuous at the same time.
“Right on Time” is all about crying out for God's presence and desiring to know Him personally. Let's strive to know God, and He will come to us. We have the privilege to know Him, and if you are a follower of Jesus, He lives in you and has made you His home.
We can face our daily battles with more courage and strength because we know that whatever the outcome, based on His promise in Romans 8:28, "God works all things together for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose."
We're living in a fallen world dealing with the fear and anxiety of the COVID-19 pandemic. If you take the truth of what it means to follow Christ, you know you weren’t made for this world. We all need to remember that the earth isn’t our permanent home.
This song gives me more conviction to not feel worthless or afraid, especially during this pandemic. With many areas in our lives, we also spend a lot of time worrying. We need to let that go and allow the Lord to be our redeemer.
“Right on Time” is a very moving song, and I love singing the introspective lyrics, “When we look back at the end of our lives/Will we see the way You made straight every crooked line?/Maybe by then we won't be surprised/To find that You were right on time/Right on time.” Amen to that.
NRT lead contributor Kevin Davis is a longtime fan of Christian music, an avid music collector, and credits the message of Christian music for leading him to Christ. He lives in Pennsylvania with his wife and three daughters.
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