June 16 Timing

There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven:
A time to be born and a time to die,
A time to plant and a time to uproot,
A time to kill and a time to heal,
A time to tear down and a time to build,
A time to weep and a time to laugh,
A time to mourn and a time to dance,
A time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
A time to embrace and a time to refrain,
A time to search and a time to give up,
A time to keep and a time to throw away,
A time to tear and a time to mend,
A time to be silent and a time to speak,
A time to love and a time to hate,
A time for war and a time for peace. ~Ecclesiastes 3:1-8

A person finds joy in giving an apt reply— and how good is a timely word! ~Proverbs 15:23

A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for a time of adversity. ~Proverbs 17:17

Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom. ~Psalm 90:12

All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be. How precious to me are your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them! ~Psalm 139:16-17

Show me, O Lord, my life’s end and the number of my days. Let me know how fleeting is my life. You have made my days a mere hand breadth. The span of my years is as nothing before You. Each one’s life is but a breath. We are mere phantoms as we go about to and fro, bustling about, but only in vain. We heap up wealth, not knowing who will get it. But now, Lord, what do I look for? My hope is in You! ~Psalm 39:4-7

But when the time had fully come, God sent His Son, born of a woman, born under law, to redeem those under law, that we might receive the full rights of sons. ~Galatians 4:4-5

Time always marches forward. Moments you have walked through cannot be repeated or saved, they can only be used, whether intentionally or thoughtlessly. We choose how we will spend them, and they will be spent. There is nothing we can do about that. I’ve heard it described like this. Think of your life as a bank account. Time is the amount of money deposited in that account for each day. Each day 86,400 seconds are deposited in your account, no more and no less. None of what is deposited can be held over until the next day. It will all be spent one way or another. And a large chunk of it you have to sleep on, like 28,000!

How you choose to spend it will determine if you are investing or squandering. It’s your choice. God is the banker, the keeper of time. While we may use or misuse what we have been given, God, the keeper of time keeps track to ensure that all of His plans take place at the proper time. He assigned a certain amount of time to us before we were even born. Moses prays wisely when he says: “Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.” How sad to come to the end of our lives and see how much we have wasted.

Then there is Solomon who notices that, at the right time, anything may be appropriate. But first, it is important to note that Solomon also said, “a friend loves at all times,” just like God. There is a time to be born and a time to die, ordained by God. There is “A time to plant and a time to uproot,” (or harvest). They must come in the proper order or there will be no food. There is “A time to weep and a time to laugh, A time to mourn and a time to dance,” knowing this helps us walk with our brothers and sisters in harmony. There is “A time to tear down and a time to build, A time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,” when shelter is needed, or not needed anymore because it is condemned or outlived its usefulness.

I think that Kathy and I are in this next time personally: “A time to keep and a time to throw away,” every time we pass a yard sale Kathy’s standard remark is, “We’re not in acquisition mode!” I just want to look!

There is “A time to be silent and a time to speak,” sometimes this is hard to know as we have discussed before. We need the sisters Prudence and Wisdom to help us decide. There is “A time to search and a time to give up,” it is always time to search for God and His wisdom and never give up. But chasing after fantasies is best left behind.

Finally, I put these statements all together because they are along the same theme: “ A time to embrace and a time to refrain, A time to kill and a time to heal, A time to tear and a time to mend, A time to love and a time to hate, A time for war and a time for peace.” This can be troubling. It’s hard to understand that there would be a time for war, a time to kill and a time for hate, yet, while there is still sin in the world and while satan prowls about like a roaring lion, seeking victims, we are at war against him, our enemy, fighting for good and truth and the way of Christ.

Paul even addresses this theme with his description of the “armor of God,” in Ephesians 6. This is the time for spiritual war until Jesus comes to bring His kingdom of peace. “How long, O Lord, how long?” we pray, along with the rest of the saints, as we watch the time tick by. Are we there yet?

Only the keeper of time knows, but be certain of this, He will not be early, nor will he be late. He always keeps track of time. “But when the time had fully come, God sent His Son, born of a woman, born under law, to redeem those under law, that we might receive the full rights of sons.” He knew when the fullness of time was then, and He is keeping track of time now. He is an intentional timekeeper who never loses track of the time.

There are two more things that are good to remember about our creator, timekeeper. He cannot be rushed, and He insists on rest. “Show me, O Lord, my life’s end and the number of my days. Let me know how fleeting is my life.” Unlike God, who has all the time in the world, we need to be realistic in the time that we have been given to do what He has called us to do and not be distracted by other things. When we can do this, then, like Him, we do not have to be rushed and we too can obey His command to rest, because He has designed that this is good for us. As with everything else, there is a God designed time for rest also.

Time is a precious commodity. We can never get back what has gone by. May we learn to number our days correctly and in so doing, gain a heart of wisdom to use the time we have been given well. That will be and will result in time well spent.

Prayer: Thank You Father, for time to pray, time to meditate on Your Word and allow Your transforming power to mold and shape how I spend the rest or my precious time in the world. May I bring honor and glory to Your name by obeying Your Will and displaying the fruit of the Holy Spirit in my life and character. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Song: “Be unto Your Name” by Robbin Marks