Psalm 75:2 You say, “I choose the appointed time;
it is I who judge uprightly.”

Time is a difficult subject. Scientifically speaking it is entirely objective, yet our perception of it is highly subjective. Each of us inhabits a specific section of time, and science fiction not withstanding, time travel is entirely one direction, one second at a time. Once time is past it cannot be reclaimed or revisited, except in memory. That’s why photography was so revolutionary: it captures and preserves a moment in time. We’ve gone from bitumen to bromide to silver halides to silicon memory chips as the medium for that capture, but the magic of photography is still that of stopping time (even if it’s a motion picture). That’s why it’s so important that God is outside of time, seeing everything at a glance, from beginning to end. As He says here, He decides when things should be. Mankind has always protested God’s timing! Even the souls of martyrs in heaven say “How long, Sovereign Lord?” (Revelation 6:10) The early Church was no exception, and Peter had to remind them, and us, that “With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day.” (2 Peter 3:8) We will not fully grasp eternity until we are experiencing it, and speculation as to what it will be like is a waste of time. (!) The point for us is to accept the time we have been allotted and make proper use of it, as good stewards. When we agonize over God’s timing we are wasting emotional energy and run the risk of missing what God wants us to do, receive, and experience. God spoke through Jeremiah that His plans for us are to give us “hope and a future.” (Jeremiah 29:11) That should be enough for us, if we really love and trust Him.

This issue has been HUGE for me. I think I am generally seen as a patient person, but that doesn’t always reflect what is going on inside. I have tended to be very jealous of “my” time, resenting interruptions and changes of schedule. That’s hurt me more than anyone, though people around me have been injured by my reactions at times. (And yes, that’s a valid pun of sorts, though I don’t know another good way to express it.) The older I get the faster time seems to pass, but I still desire change in people and circumstances sooner than it seems to happen. There are moments when I would like to be lifted out of all of this and be translated to heaven, but I am aware of the impact that would have on those I would leave behind, and I honestly desire the best for them. I am in total agreement with what Paul said repeatedly, in 2 Corinthians 5:6-7 and Philippians 1:21-24, that he would rather leave this life and get on to the next one, but he knew he still had work to do. My task is to recognize what God has for me to do and do it in His strength, not grumbling or complaining but rejoicing in the privilege of being His agent. It’s certainly not that I don’t enjoy many things about living on this earth, so I need to trust God with all of it, both the enjoyable things and the less enjoyable things, and let His appointed times come when He has decided.

Father, thank You for Your patience with me. I complain, at least internally, about timing, and yet I have been so slow myself about growing and maturing as You have desired. Help me receive each moment from Your hands, to make the use of it that You intend, for the advancement of Your kingdom and for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!