And God said, "Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from night. And let them be for signs and for seasons, and for days and years" Gen 1:14 ESV

The God of the smallest of these

Let there be.  In “Just a few words”, we explored how God has exhibited Himself able to do much with very little.  All he needed to say to create the world was let there be, no long dissertation or monologue.  We explored God’s ability to produce a harvest when we dedicate the little we have to Him.  Is it any wonder?  God specializes in the small. Scripture is filled with the accounts of His ability to do so. He fed a multitude with a small meal, He conquered the Midianite army with a small group of men , He even used the smallest human package to send the savior of the world, a baby.  How is God able to do so much with so little? How is He able to create the whole world with just a few words?  How is He able to plant a seed in us with the little time we dedicate to Him in reading and studying His word to produce a fruitful life?  Because He is the God who created time. 

The God of Time

In the creation story, He made the sun and moon.  This set the seasons in place marching us through the calendar day by day turning each day into weeks into months and then years.  But for God what is a day for us is a whisper to Him (Peter 3:8).  As the creator of time, He commands its boundaries so He is not bound by the constraints of time as we perceive time.  Thinking God has to do something within the time I expect is the wrong thinking that leads to disappointment in God or getting out of step with Him.  John 16:33 “I have overcome the world.” God says it is already done so the time I am looking at from my finite view point does not match up to God’s infinite viewpoint.  He has already gone from the beginning to the end and has worked it all out for good and His glory.  God does not show up when we think He should because we do not know His ways or think like He does (Is 55:8-9, My thoughts are not your thoughts)  but we can expect Him to show up (Heb 10:37) He who is coming will come and will not delay.  He does not operate under the rules of time that we do.  A day does not consist of 24 hours for Him so when we place deadlines on Him we do ourselves no favors.  When we try to limit Him to operating within a certain time frame we try to exert control we do not truly own and take the position of a sovereign God.  We will miss Him every time by doing this.  We will get out of order and out of step every time.  Only do the thing He has told you to do and do not delay because we are not promised tomorrow. 

Trust Him with your time

Eph 5:15-17.  “Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.” Our time is a gift from God so who better to trust with “your” time than the creator of time?! Trust Him when He seems to tarry.  Trust Him when it seems like it goes by too fast.  He has given us a gift, entrusted us with an important commodity not only for ourselves but also for our children.  So we should trust Him to direct us on how to best use it, on where to sow our time, efforts and energy because He knows where seeds are needing planting and where the fields are needing nurturing.  The more time we spend out of God’s timing the more time we will spend not fully knowing the abundant life He promises.  Pray each day for His direction on what activities to invest the time of you and your children each day, each season, each year because He has a plan and purpose for it, for you and for them.  Maybe this is not the season to sign them up for a particular sport or extracurricular activity but instead God has another place He wants them to spend their time, a group to join or to have more free time to encounter others during divine appointments He has orchestrated elsewhere.  There is also a time for rest which we will discuss later in this series so be open to maybe this is the time for that as well.  Whatever His plan for your time there is a greater plan, a greater harvest to come when we dedicate it back to Him by seeking His guidance and then trusting Him to use it the way He has deemed best.  

Nurture the seed: Ps 90:12 Teach us to numbers our days carefully so that we may develop wisdom in our hearts.

Sow the Seed: Present your time to God and redeem it where He directs.

Until next time, happy sowing!