God Holds Time

On this final, full week in the month of June, it is with mixed feeling that most of us acknowledge this fact.

As I was engrossed in writing this and thinking of how June had simply passed me by, or so it seemed, a feeling of sadness and heaviness began to touch me.

Suddenly, I heard something strange and different. I paused, listened with deliberate ear and there was my visiting neighbour singing away, early in the morning. He is here on one of his yearly visits and it is the first time I have ever heard his voice singing away. O yes, I hear his voice daily, as he speaks on the telephone, but never singing.  I couldn’t tell you what he was singing, but he was singing, without melody, I might add and I began to smile broadly. All I heard myself saying was this. If my neighbour can sing today, so will I. No cloud, or feelings of regret, fear, anxiety or any other negative, joy-stealing thoughts, would hinder me. I sang praises in my heart and went on with uninterrupted assurance, to listen, as our Lord led and schooled me in all that He wanted me to learn and know.

Today, if you are under one of those joy-stealing clouds, if the fact that time is moving at too swift a pace for you, if you feel really anxious inside about your, ‘slow spiritual life’, just sing praise and thanks to God, as you turn your mind and heart full-force in Him. You will have no choice but to sing His absolutely divine praises, when you acknowledge the fact that you are standing on this day by His design and desire and nothing to do with you. Nothing of your works, good or bad; your desires, worthy or unworthy; your words, wise or foolish; your prayers, noble or ignoble – absolutely nothing of you – brought you to this time and hour. It is all the doing of God, who holds all time in His control.  Lift up your head! Lift up your heart! Sovereign, Creator God has not relinquished His Supreme Authority over you. He has much for you to do and learn as you continue to seek Him and abide in Him.

Just think of this. Although this is a closing week for an entire month, our Lord has made it as an opening week, if you dare, for our entire lives. No matter where you are today, no matter what you have or have not done, no matter how good you feel about yourself, or how sad you feel about yourself, here is the reality. Our Heavenly Father has given you opportunity to be made new in Him, to receive new in Him and to live new in Him. He has offered you many and various privileges and opportunities to receive from Him. Will you accept and receive them all, including what has been planned for us in these devotions for this week?   

I must confess that I often go to our Heavenly Father, asking for what I think I need, based on my human desires. More often than not, when He shows me what I really need, what is crucial to my spiritual growth and readiness, at that moment, I truly have to acquiesce. Our God and Father does not see things as we see them. He does not think as we do, in the carnal and physical. He is Spirit and all who are born of Him are born in Spirit and must grow and move and have our very being in Spirit.

It is with this submission that we are looking forward to a week of teaching and learning on, Family Feuds, and being raised from our present places of understanding, to be used in any and every way our Lord desires.