Time Constraints . . . Or Not

It has been almost two weeks and I’m finally adjusting to the time change after re-setting our clock forward for Daylight Savings Time. My dog, on the other hand, is still confused as to when she should be fed. Based on past experience, I expect that when she does adjust, it will be time to set our clocks back an hour in the fall!

We’re ruled by the passage of time, aren’t we? We set our commitments according to clocks and calendars, then race the clock and bemoan the new calendar page when we’re running behind. And we resign ourselves to struggling with time constraints thrust upon us.

Yet, as I read the gospels, I’m always fascinated by Jesus’s disregard for the tyranny of time. Again and again, He referenced that He was on His Father’s schedule, not man’s:

• “My hour has not yet come” (John 2:4 ESV).
• “My time has not yet come” (John 7:6 ESV).
• “My time has not yet fully come” (John 7:8 ESV).
• “He taught in the temple; but no one arrested him because his hour had not yet come” (John 8:20 ESV).

Jesus’s earthly ministry, including His death, burial, and resurrection, occurred according to God’s predetermined plans and purposes. Revelation 13:8 reminds us that before the foundation of the world—before time began—the Lamb (Jesus) was slain. Even Jesus’s birth occurred on His Father’s schedule, as the apostle Paul noted: “But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth His Son” (Galatians 4:4 ESV).

What Does This Mean for Us Today?

So what do you and I do with this today? How does the fact that God is eternal (Psalm 90:2) – outside of time as we understand it – change the way we live?

It’s actually a great comfort to rest in the assurance that God is not surprised by the events we face today. Oswald Chambers once wrote that Jesus knew “every problem had been solved in counsel with His Father before He became incarnate.” That’s why Jesus was never in a hurry and never worried about the twists and turns of His earthly ministry or the responses of others.

Oh, how I need to remember this! To remember that before time began, our heavenly Father already had the solution to everything I face today. I may be anxious about clocks and calendars and timetables, but He is not!

The challenge for me is to relate to clocks and calendars as tools, not as tyrants, and to trust the One who always was, is, and ever will be.

How do you relate to time constraints?