Tuesday, June 9, 2015

The Time of Day



Mark 13:32-33
"But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.  Be on guard!  Be alert!  You do not know when that time will come."

Clocks.  They're everywhere!  On our computers, our phones, our wrists, stoves, microwaves, coffee makers.  And the list goes on.  If we want to know the time of day, we do not need to look far to find it.

Recently, our clock, an actual one hanging over our calendar board in our kitchen, gives up the ghost.  No amount of battery changes can conceal the fact that it is losing minutes every day, moving slower and slower, until it no longer relays the actual time.

It's time, pun intended, to let it go.

But a lingering problem remains.  My husband, Danny, and I continue to look up at that now blank spot on the wall expecting to see the time faithfully conveyed.  It is a habit not easy to break.

"Do you want me to get a replacement?"  Danny asks one day.

"It would be nice," I say, "but not mandatory.  Maybe we just need to adjust to its absence."

Still, our eyes focus repeatedly on this very location throughout the day.  Expecting to see what's no longer there.  Wishing to know the time when we could all too easily venture otherwise.

With no plans to replace the tired and worn-out clock, Danny finds himself at our local Target on another mission which happens to lead him right through the clock aisle of the store.  He stops.  He looks.  He sees, and buys the perfect replacement!





For those of you who follow me on Facebook, you are well acquainted with my dire need for coffee in the morning, and the tender affection I have for coffee in the afternoon.  You can stop by our house any day, any time, and be guaranteed a fresh cup.  It would be my absolute pleasure to serve you one!

Relieved once again to raise eyes to that once uncomfortably lonely space on the wall, and pleased as punch to see both time and the standing invitation, I remember:  I know neither the day nor the hour.  I can plan.  I can scheme.  I can trace the plodding hand of the clock which ticks away the seconds.

But I cannot know.

I cannot know the when and where, the why and wherefore.

Who can?

We want to.  In our human frailty, we want to.  But we can take comfort in this:  It is beyond not simply us, but beyond the knowledge of the Son.

As terrible and horrific and disturbing these times in history are, we need to remember that God is in control of it all.  His timing is perfect.  He knows when to intervene.

And He will when His time is right.

There is no time on our clocks which will reveal it.

~

How do you keep watch?

Prayer:  Father, let us understand that in You, there is no time, no limits, no end to Your love.  May we all be faithful in spending our time here on earth to honor Your great glory.  Nothing, in all our seconds, minutes, hours, days, years, could be spent better than that.  In Jesus' name, we pray.  Amen.

15 comments:

  1. Who knows what time holds for us? Shows how we take everything for granted in life and cannot make with the absence...and bound by routine too. Good post again.

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    1. Yes, Janaki, we can too easily take everything for granted when we should strive to be mindful every waking moment. Glad you enjoyed the post!
      Love and blessings!

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  2. Martha, another lovely post. We do get quite dependent on clocks. When I happen to not put on my watch, I feel lost. It's interesting to be in a school/business where a clock sticks out from the wall and the two sides report a different time!

    How do I keep watch? It seems to be something that I have to be mindful of--some days are better than others. Distractions abound...mind wanders all over the place. Yet staying in the Word and abiding in Jesus hopefully keeps me in a place where I can be found a faithful virgin, ready for the bridegroom's return.

    Love and blessings!

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    1. Yes, Kim, it's not easy to keep watch in a world full of distractions and temptations. It is crucial for us to stay in the Word, as you said, and be aware that we should "pray continually" as Paul admonishes so we are dwelling in God's presence with every breath. Hope I'll get much better at that as "time" goes by!
      Love and blessings!

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  3. I love this post...for we have lived where a clock is not needed. A few people in the villages around us had watches but they were few. No one had a wall clock in their house. It is by the sun, moon, stars they adjust their time schedules. They do not consult a clock to tell them it's time to cook breakfast or any meal for that matter, their stomachs are their clocks. I gave a watch to my village work mari who helped me, she loved it even though I don't think she looked at as a thing to keep time, it was more like an ornament to wear. Wouldn't it be nice if God gave us a time clock so we would know what day He is coming back. I like what one preacher said, today is the day, today we need to get or hearts right, today we need to look for Him as we serve Him faithfully and be thankful when He gives us one more day to do so. Great post.

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    1. I love how you describe the lives of the people you served for Christ - no watches, no timetables, no being driven by the two hands ticking away on a clock face. It's hard in our Western minds to even grasp that!
      And I love what that preacher said, too. We should regard every day as THE DAY and live accordingly.
      Love and blessings, Betty!

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  4. I love this post...for we have lived where a clock is not needed. A few people in the villages around us had watches but they were few. No one had a wall clock in their house. It is by the sun, moon, stars they adjust their time schedules. They do not consult a clock to tell them it's time to cook breakfast or any meal for that matter, their stomachs are their clocks. I gave a watch to my village work mari who helped me, she loved it even though I don't think she looked at as a thing to keep time, it was more like an ornament to wear. Wouldn't it be nice if God gave us a time clock so we would know what day He is coming back. I like what one preacher said, today is the day, today we need to get or hearts right, today we need to look for Him as we serve Him faithfully and be thankful when He gives us one more day to do so. Great post.

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  5. I have coined the phrase - "Feet on the ground, eyes to the sky." And by this I mean that I try to keep busy doing Kingdom work, while always remembering the reason that I do it - the future coming of Jesus. Sometimes I get way too caught up in the temporary things of life - its endless distractions and difficulties - and then I need to intentionally refocus on what's important.

    I want to be ready - and that takes work while watchfully waiting!

    GOD BLESS!

    (LOVE the new clock, by the way!)

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    1. I love your phrase, Sharon! Indeed, that's what we should all be doing on a daily basis - working for the Kingdom here on earth and looking heavenward in expectancy and hope. May we all be ready on that day!
      Love and blessings!

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  6. I really like the clock since I am a fellow coffee addict. I quit wearing a watch years ago and soon discover yes there are a million ways to find the time. And out electricity went out that other - what a chore to reset all those clocks. fun and insightful post!!

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    1. Another coffee fiend! I love it! You know, Jean, I can't wear a watch because there's something about my electromagnetic body field that shuts them down after several months. Weird, huh? :)
      Not only losing electricity, but when that danged time change comes - do not like!
      Love and blessings!

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  7. That clock is cool! That is the thing...only He knows when our time is up. Death has always baffled me a bit. How one minute the person is here, living and breathing..loving thinking and the next...gone. A memory. It is so final and we honestly have no clue when that time will come. I would be lost without a clock. I would have to replace it. During the summer it isn't that urgent for a clock but this summer I still need one so I can get my son to swim practice and my daughter to student council meetings at the high school. Still gotta be on the ball!

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    1. I'm glad you liked the clock, Kathy! :)
      Yes, we never know the moment when a life will end or the day and hour of Jesus' return. All we can know is that both are inevitable and be as prepared as we can possibly be.
      In the meantime, let us relish and celebrate each moment whether we're watching the clock or not!
      Love and blessings!

      Delete
  8. That clock is cool! That is the thing...only He knows when our time is up. Death has always baffled me a bit. How one minute the person is here, living and breathing..loving thinking and the next...gone. A memory. It is so final and we honestly have no clue when that time will come. I would be lost without a clock. I would have to replace it. During the summer it isn't that urgent for a clock but this summer I still need one so I can get my son to swim practice and my daughter to student council meetings at the high school. Still gotta be on the ball!

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  9. We take so many things for granted in life *sigh*

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