Time in a Bottle

There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven. Ecclesiastes 3:1

Have you ever shaken a bottle of something to make what’s inside come out faster? You know… the shampoo bottle, the ketchup bottle, or the squeezable jelly bottle. Sometimes when you shake the contents of a bottle to the opening, you get what’s inside to move faster.

This morning my daughter and I were in the bathroom getting dressed for school. We have those two minute sand timers for the kids to use while brushing their teeth so they know exactly how long to brush. I watched amused as my daughter tapped on the top of the timer trying to get the sand to move through the hole faster. She hates brushing and is always in such a hurry to finish. I tried to explain that timers don’t work the same way as the shampoo bottle. You can’t tap on it or shake it or do anything else to manipulate it to go faster. It’s set for a specific amount of time to pass and nothing we do can change it.

I realized as I explained to my daughter how timers work, that God’s timer works the same way. So often we are in such a hurry to finish what we are doing or what He is calling us to go through, that we try to rush it along. We “tap” or “shake” or manipulate the situation trying to make the time pass faster. No matter what we do, we can’t change the amount of time God has set aside for us to endure certain things. We must trust He knows exactly how long should pass before the last grain of sand falls through and the job is complete.

But I trust in you, O LORD; I say, “You are my God.” My times are in your hands; deliver me from my enemies and from those who pursue me. Psalm 34:14-16