« But as for me, it is good to be near God. I have made the Sovereign Lord my refuge; I will tell of all your deeds.” (Psalm 73:28)
It does not matter what yardstick we use to measure time – be it the clock, the tide, the seasons, the calendar or the number of gray hairs on our heads, time is constantly ticking away. What is worse, there is nothing that we can do about it. Time is not stagnant. It has never been and never will be.
Many have stopped counting, because they are no more. They have gone ahead of us. Many had hoped to see the end of 2022, unfortunately that has not been the case. The Bible teaches that we cannot conserve life; life is like a commodity on the shelf with an expiry date. “Remember how fleeting is my life. For what futility you have created all men.” (Psalm 89:47) “The length of our days is seventy years or eighty, if we have the strength; yet their span is but trouble and sorrow, for they quickly pass, and we fly away.” (Psalm 90:10)
For as long as we live on this planet, we need to be reminded that the life we live is not our own; that such a life is not endless, but time bound. It may not be enough to enable us accomplish all our projects. This should be enough reason therefore for you and me to concentrate on the essential things in life. “Why, you do not know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a while and then vanishes.” (James 4:14) Job compares our days to a weaver’s shuttle and like a runner; they come to an end without hope. They fly away without a glimpse of joy. (Job 7:6; 9:25)
We are tempted to abuse our time when we think in terms of the number of years we can live. We dispose of 84,000 seconds daily and if this is estimated in terms of money that should be spent everyday, without leftovers, we would be hard pressed to spend it all on ourselves. We would have to give a lot of it away particularly if we know that any part of it that is unused we will forfeit. By this we mean that God has been generous to us; it is for us to use our time wisely. Again the Psalmist cautions: “Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.” (Psalm 90:12)
If therefore time is precious to us in the sight of God, our Maker, then we must praise Him while we have breath. “No one remembers you (God) when he is dead. Who praises you from the grave?” (Psalm 6:5) As we stand at the threshold of another year, looking up to the new, may we focus on what would prepare us for the life ahead – for the new, permanent and everlasting kind of life.
As we enter into the New Year may we ask, “Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me and lead me in the way everlasting.” (Psalm 139:23-24)
When God leads, we will have to follow. One thing is certain, we will not go astray. “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” (Matthew 11: 28-29)
You probably have had a bad year and are not looking forward eagerly to 2023. Rest assured that whatever happened to you was for a purpose. For “…we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose.” (Romans 8:28) Whatever God allows to happen in your life is because He has something to teach you. What lessons have you learnt this year about living?
Jesus has the ability of raising people from the dead. If you feel dead in sin, a slave to sin, without any clear purpose in life, run to Him. He raised Lazarus from the dead when his loved ones thought nothing could be done for him again. The Lord had asked them to only believe. After He had raised Lazarus, He reminded them: “Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?” (John 11:40)
God wants to show you His glory. He invites you to follow He who is able to “…do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us…” (Ephesians 3:20) For He declared: “I am the Way and the Truth and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 4:6)
