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The Clock is Ticking

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By Nadine Voogt

Tick,Tock,Tick,Tock… It’s that time again, when you find yourself wishing the seconds, minutes, hours, days would pass during this end of year craziness. Deadlines, Exams, functions, targets to reach. Holidays are in sight, and we can easily get caught up in wishing time would just fast forward till we can rest, only to start all over again in January next year.

The reality is we wish away, waste away, groan through, sleep through, drag our legs through most of our days. We concern ourselves with and waste time on things, thoughts, politics, and people that are not part of what God is calling us to. We fail to remind ourselves that our days are numbered.

In Psalm 90 verse 12, it says “Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom,”

In the first part of this verse, it says “Teach us to number our days…”. This means to consider the shortness of our lives and having the knowledge that one day our lives will come to an end.

We won’t live forever on this earth, no matter what anti-aging experiments we try. Most of us estimate we will live till around 80 or 90 years old. The stats show that in South Africa the current life expectancy is 65 years old, which is right around the time you were planning on enjoying that retirement money.

We also know the reality that some of us might not wake up tomorrow morning. I had a precious childhood friend that at the age of 23, perfectly healthy, went for a nap and never woke up- with no explanations from her autopsy- it simply was her last day.

Friends, we need to value our time and know that at any moment our time on earth could come to an end.

Psalm 90:12 is also asking God to teach us this concept, as it is knowledge that most of us need to learn, it doesn’t come naturally to us. Especially when we are younger, we live our lives as if we have infinite days and we don’t give much thought to our lives ending anytime soon.

Our days are numbered, each day is valuable, and a gift God has entrusted us with. We need not fear it, but rather embrace it.

Just in case you were wandering, the goal of this blog wasn’t to scare you, but rather as the scripture says above “That we may gain a heart of wisdom”.

When we live our lives knowing that our days are numbered, wisdom follows. If you know you have less time, this should encourage you to spend it by seeking God’s guidance and wisdom on how to use that time. James 1:5 says, “If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.”

We can also trust the Holy spirit, who is with us, for discernment throughout our days in all our decisions and interactions. In John 16:13 Jesus says “But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come.” It is this guidance that will help us be effective in how we live for the Lord each day.

For every “yes” you say to something in your life you are saying “no” to something else. We need to learn how to say No to the things that God has not called us to. (Ephesians 5:15-17) This is very tough, especially because we are human and our earthly desires, goals, aspirations sometimes take over. The good news is, the more we press into what God is saying to us, the easier it becomes to say “no” to those earthly things.

If we are being spirit-led, we ensure that we are not wasting time but rather using the fullness of it in the way God wants us to.

Lastly, we need to be thankful and content with the time God has given us. Our timelines will never be the same as God’s timeline for us but thank goodness He is always in control. To be content we need to have faith and trust that God knows best. (Ecclesiastes 3:11)

Sometimes delays or waiting are a part of His plan, growing us and preparing us for the season ahead. (James 1:2-4).  I always think of the story of Joseph or David and how everything they went through prepared them for the great destinies God had for their lives. When we take time into our own hands, we often end up with more hurt or heartbreak. We see this in the story of Abraham and Sarah.

Whether we perceive times as challenges or blessings, we know that He is with us, working in and through us, and for that we can be grateful. We will never understand His timing (Isaiah 55:8), but we can know and live in His goodness throughout our lives, whether short or long.

We can only find contentment when our hearts are rooted in eternal things. As fellow believers we know that our time on earth is but a blink of an eye, when compared to the eternity we will spend with Jesus. Hebrews 6:19, “We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure…”. As uncertain as our time on earth is, our eternity is like an anchor, firm and secure, for those who believe in Jesus.

As we conclude our dive into Psalm 90:12, remember to stop the fast forward button, pause and embrace what God is calling you to in the current season, and press play, being content knowing He is in control. Tick, tock, tick, tock…