A clock for heaven?

Here is a true story from a church in Accra.

At an open forum during the service, the pastor encouraged his congregation to appreciate the goodness of God and to declare how they would reciprocate this goodness.

The hand that shot up belonged to a middle-aged woman who said that she would like to give God a wall clock.  

As everybody looked at her for an explanation, she said, “It seems God could use a clock in heaven in order to be a little more time-conscious!”

What did she mean?  Was she joking or was she for real?  Could it be that many of us harbour the same thoughts about God but may not verbalise it?

Restrained laughter

After the restrained laughter had subsided, the middle-aged woman emphasised that, to her, God is too slow in answering prayers, too slow in responding to her heart’s desires, and too slow in dealing with wrongdoers.  

Therefore, she wished God would hurry up a little bit in order to keep to time. 

Whose time?—we ask.  Don’t we say that God’s time is the best? He knows tomorrow, the dangers ahead, and how unsuitable it is to make a move at the wrong time.

We often behave like the Titanic on its maiden voyage across the Atlantic Ocean.  We think we are unsinkable, knowledgeable, independent and smart.  

We then speed up in life towards a direction of our choice, forgetting that ahead of us might be a deadly iceberg that would sink the unsinkable.

It is said that, “Hurry, hurry has no blessing,” but we are constantly in a hurry, not ready to wait, thereby missing God’s timing for our life.

A walk with God

Walking with God through life is establishing a relationship with him; he leads and we follow.  He is the shepherd and we are the sheep of his pasture.  

Every time the flock goes ahead of the shepherd because they are in a hurry, most often, they run headlong into disaster.

Therefore, patience, which calls for waiting, is one quality required of us in our daily walk with God.

This hymn, based on Isaiah 40:31, says,

“They that wait upon the Lord, shall renew their strength; / they shall mount up with wings like eagle’s; / they shall walk and not be weary; / they shall walk and not faint; / teach me, Lord, teach me Lord to wait.”

I like the “Teach me, Lord, to wait” bit of this song.

For, as someone has said, “Waiting is not a passive state of being; it is an active state of preparedness.”

We wait in hopeful anticipation, believing in faith that, at the right time, God will act on our behalf.

He is not slow

Peter’s statement on this subject is quite enlightening: “The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness.

Instead, he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9).

In other words, whenever God seems to delay anything, it is for our eternal good, and the wait always produces something better.

At Cana, when his mother tried to engage him over the wine that had run out at the wedding, Jesus told her, “My time has not yet come.”

The very next moment when the time came, the water he changed into wine was described by the MC as the “best”.

Biblical teaching

Biblical teaching supports the truth that time is an important aspect of walking with God.

He called Abram, changed his name to Abraham to reflect a wider covenant, and promised him a son.

While Abraham waited to have the promised son, he panicked when time seemed to run out.

The waiting toll was heavier on Sarah his wife, who gave her maidservant to her husband to try to fulfil God’s promise.

Goodness, the things we do when we think God is delaying the answers to our prayers!  Would you give God a wall clock for him to keep time?  

The Lord taught Abraham that waiting obediently for his timing was more important than having a prayer answered.

When Abraham, in frustration, cried out, “O Sovereign Lord, what can you give me since I remain childless”? the Lord told him, “Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your very great reward."

Those who measure their relationship with God based on what they get from him in answer to their prayers will miss the Lord’s “great reward.”

Whenever God “delays” the response to our prayer requests, or, as in the case of Paul, he denies the requests, he gives us the grace to endure the wait.  

For his grace is always sufficient for us.

Humanly speaking, waiting is difficult when we really need what we are waiting for.  But, despite the discomfort, waiting generates strength and builds our faith.

The writer is a publisher, author, writer-trainer and CEO of Step Publishers.

E-mail: lawrence.darmani@gmail.com