Every time our grandchildren come to visit, I must clear all valuables from their reach and sight.  At these ages they like to “investigate” and tinker with whatever their eyes can spot on and their hands can reach to.  One of those items is my alarm clock next to my bed.  A couple of times I was misled by time because unbeknownst to me, they had reset the time.  This week, not only did they reset the time, but they also did something to it that the needle is now dangling helplessly. The clock is “totaled” beyond repair.

Knowing the time is important to me because I have appointments to keep.  Yesterday I was to wake up at 5 am to prepare for a webinar that started at 6 am.  As usual I set the alarm at 5 am but I did not know that the hour needle had already broken.  By the grace of God, I finally noticed that the hour needle had stopped moving; and that was the time I discovered that the needle was dangling.  One of those little fingers must have played around with it. ?

Knowing the time is important, not only to keep our appointments but also to know what “time” it is.  As Ecclesiastes reminds us, we must know the time when to plant and when to uproot, when to tear down and when to build, when to weep and when to laugh, when to search and when to give up, and when to keep and when to throw away.  We must know what time it is and live accordingly.

King David knew his time.  After his kingdom was well-established, he told Nathan the prophet that he wanted to build a house for the Lord.  From a noble heart comes a noble desire.  Surprisingly, God said, “No.”  He told David that it was his son who would build it.  David listened to God even though he could have gone on with the plan. He knew it was not his time. We, too, must know our time.

Pastor Paul