Tag: Time

What Is Holding You Back?

by Nicky Wood

Each year, time seems to be flying by faster than ever. They say it is a sign of aging… the older you get, the faster time seems to go by. In a sense this does scare me, because in my heart, the urgency swells. I feel like there are still so many things that I want to do to make a difference and I would like to find more purpose and know more of what God wants from me and my life.

And sometimes, the daily rut of the ordinary and the mundane, wraps its fingers around my soul and threatens to choke me.

Psalms 90:12: “Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom”

What a beautiful request from the Psalmist. What if we knew what the number of our days would be on this earth? Would we act differently today or tomorrow? What wisdom would we gain? Would we let go of that offense if we knew today is our last day? Would we stop fearing what others may think of us and commit to what we know in our hearts to be true?

The irony of it all is that I’ve realized that if I keep focusing on myself and my own needs and desires, I am missing the point. All these years I’ve been trying to figure out what God wants me to do career-wise, etc. The older I get though, the more I realize my life is not about me, yet I keep getting in the way.

So, this well-known quote is my prayer:

“Maybe the mountain is me. Lord, help me move out of my own way.”

I pray that we won’t stand in our own way when it comes to being all that God created us to be and that we can learn to let go of the meaningless things holding us back.

After all, God helps us to place time in perspective, because He has created us with eternity in mind:

Ecclesiastes 3:11 “He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart…”

Whatever season of our lives we are in, Jesus can teach us to number our days so that we can find hope and purpose in each one of them.

 

 

 

The Time Giver

by Nicky Wood

Ecc. 3:1: “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens.”

Ecc. 3:11: “He has made everything beautiful in its time…”

Time can either be your friend or your enemy – which one will be determined by the way you treat it…

If you are impatient and you lose your temper with it, time will be your enemy. If you embrace it and learn the art of waiting, it can be your friend. If you know when the right time is for the right action and activity, you can learn to use it in your favour… and what better way to know than asking the One who made it?

He who made the seasons is never in a hurry, yet He is always on time! The faithfulness of God is manifested in our lives if we are willing to wait on His timing. If we take matters into our own hands because of our impatience, we may miss the opportunity of seeing God come through for us and prove His faithfulness.

Moses was tending sheep in the desert for 40 years before God appeared to Him in a burning bush and his life changed in an instant. He must have known how he was destined for greater things but he was stuck in a boring job waiting for God to act.

Abraham laughed when God told him that he would have a son because he couldn’t believe that at his age (100) and that of his wife (90) it would be possible (Genesis 17:17).

I guess nobody could have blamed him or Sarah for thinking that it’s all a joke on the one hand, but on the other hand, Abraham was well aware that the God he served was and is a miracle working Father and nothing is too hard for him. He should also perhaps have known that his finite human mind couldn’t possibly comprehend what God can do with the time He gives to each of us. Be it a few years or a few seconds. Even if we think time is running out for us, the final word goes to the One who holds it in His hands.

Sometimes we lose our hope and joy if God does not act within our timetable. Yet this brings us back to the example of the Potter and the clay… Isaiah 45:9 (NLT): “What sorrow awaits those who argue with their Creator. Does a clay pot argue with its maker?” In the same way shall we ask the One who made time why He doesn’t act when we think with our limited capacity, that the right time has come?

Can I encourage you to be willing to wait in a society that believes in instant gratification? A prayer that hasn’t been answered might just mean that it is not the right time for it yet to come to pass. Don’t give up hope.

Set your mind on things above, and He will come through for you at just the right time. Moreover, Ecclesiastes tells us that He has made everything beautiful in its time. Not only does He arrange everything for our good (Rom 8:28) but he makes it all beautiful.