Times

We have so many schedules that are never added to our calendars; some would look odd on a calendar, like pluck nose hairs!

Kalendarium

The word calendar comes from the Latin word kalendarium, meaning ‘account book.’ Isn’t it amazing how many ‘account books’ we manage in our minds? I am not referring to our digital calendars, reminders, or task lists that continually nag at us for attention. Instead, I am referring to our private timetables; some can be shared and others not. For example, we may have a specific time we want to be out the door for work. We don’t put that on a calendar. We just know it, and it makes us a bit grumpy if we’re late.

We have times when we check our phones for messages, check on parents for their well-being, and check on traffic before going anywhere. Mornings are often carved up into minuscule slices, measured down to the millisecond, designated for showers, preening (personal grooming), dressing, and morning chores. Oh, and coffee! We must have our morning coffee. Each has its own allotted slot and duration, and woe on anyone who messes up our mental schedules.

God’s Calendar for Us

There are so many “non-calendar” schedules we keep and maintain in our minds throughout our lives! Of these, some are non-negotiable. A non-negotiable should be our times with God. Our times when we get alone and commune with the Father¹, talk with Jesus², and allow the Holy Spirit to search our hearts³. Our times when we study⁴, not just read, the Bible. Our times when we pray deep prayers⁵. Our times when we do good deeds so others may see the uniqueness of living for Jesus⁶. Our times when we gather together with fellow believers for church services and small groups⁷.

God, too, has a calendar for our lives, but we are rarely, if ever, privy to it⁸. As King Solomon wrote in Ecclesiastes, “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens, a time to be born and a time to die…⁹” Wise believers know that all their “times” are in God’s hand¹⁰, and that our preparation for ministry comes through many God-scheduled trials and troubles¹¹.

Right Now

We humans are odd creatures. The times of our past are unalterable, and our times for the future are unknowable (unless revealed by the Holy Spirit). We are creatures of the “right now.” This is why we need the “I AM” God¹². Despite our timetables, it is the “right now” that establishes our past and sets the course for our future. It is in our “right now” that we need God the most. Since the “right now” is so precious, let’s be sure to include God in each moment of our lives. It is He who should be our highest priority.

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Footnotes

1. Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer. – Psalm 19:14 ↩︎
2. Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me. – Revelation 3:20 ↩︎
3. And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. – Romans 8:27 ↩︎
4. Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth. – 2 Timothy 2:15 ↩︎
5. Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. – James 5:16 ↩︎
6. Conduct yourselves with such honor among the Gentiles that, though they slander you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day He visits us. – 1 Peter 2:12 ↩︎
7. And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near. – Hebrews 10:25 ↩︎
8. Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them. – Psalm 139:16 ↩︎
9. There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens – Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 ↩︎
10. My times are in your hand; rescue me from the hand of my enemies and from my persecutors! – Psalms 31:15 ↩︎
11. And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you. – 1 Peter 5:10 ↩︎
12. God said to Moses, “I am who I am.” And he said, “Say this to the people of Israel: ‘I am has sent me to you.’” – Exodus 3:14 ↩︎