It's a Matter of Time

 

Time is a funny thing. As a child, it seems to take forever to reach a destination or wait for Christmas to arrive. But as you get older you hear people say, “Time is sure flying by!”

So, which is it? Slow or fast? Neither. It’s all based on perception.

Sometimes it seems under our control. For example, on our job, we have work to do and deadlines to meet. We get out a calendar and start making plans, then we follow through. Deadline met . . . job well done!

Unfortunately, we are sometimes faced with problems that can’t be solved by planning on our part.

Health issues, for example, seem to make time drag by. We’d like to be well already! It’s hard to wait while others work to solve our problems or advise us on further care.

“It will all work out.” How many times did Dad say that in my lifetime? In a gift shop, I once saw a magnet with that saying. It’s on my refrigerator now, a reminder that answers to prayer take time.

King Solomon wrote about "time" in Ecclesiastes 3. He opened with this: To everything, there is a season, a time for every purpose under the sun. What follows are eight poetic verses pointing out life’s contrasts, things like life/death, mourning/dancing, gaining/losing, and war/peace. All are part of our time on this earth.

Further down, in verse 11, Solomon declares that God has made everything beautiful in its time.

I can tell you from experience that God hears our prayers. In fact, I keep a notebook of answered prayers. 

Philippians 4:6 tells us not to be anxious but to pray about everything. I do, but there’s a basic problem . . . my timing and God’s rarely agree.

I try to remember my husband’s advice about prayer: “Slow down so you can keep up with God.”

As I said, God answers prayer. It’s just a matter of time . . . His time!