More Time

Time is probably our most precious commodity. We all have 24 hours in a day, 7 days each week and 52 weeks in each year. I sometimes look back over my life and see places where I wasted valuable time.  The value of time depends a lot on perspective. To the person who just got news of cancer, they are thinking about how much time they have left. To the person who’s loved one was just put on hospice, they’re thinking how much time? When tragedy strikes, it seems that time stands still. I’m not in charge of how much time I have on this earth and no one else is either. Sure, we can take better care of ourselves, eat right and live right only to be in an accident that takes our life.  I don’t mean to sound so morbid; we just don’t control when our time on earth is up. What I can control is how I use the time I’m given.

King Hezekiah followed the Lord fully. An event happened in his life that inspired me to ask the Lord for the things I want. I want my prayers to move the Lord’s heart. Check this out….

¹About that time Hezekiah became deathly ill, and the prophet Isaiah son of Amoz went to visit him. He gave the king this message: “This is what the Lord says: Set your affairs in order, for you are going to die. You will not recover from this illness.”

² When Hezekiah heard this, he turned his face to the wall and prayed to the Lord, ³ “Remember, O Lord, how I have always been faithful to you and have served you single-mindedly, always doing what pleases you.” Then he broke down and wept bitterly.

⁴ But before Isaiah had left the middle courtyard, this message came to him from the Lord: ⁵ “Go back to Hezekiah, the leader of my people. Tell him, ‘This is what the Lord, the God of your ancestor David, says: I have heard your prayer and seen your tears. I will heal you, and three days from now you will get out of bed and go to the Temple of the Lord. ⁶ I will add fifteen years to your life, and I will rescue you and this city from the king of Assyria. I will defend this city for my own honor and for the sake of my servant David.’” (2 Kings 20:1-6 NLT)

This story made me really think about how I use my time – I mean all of it.

How much time do I spend sleeping?

How much time do I spend with the Lord?

How much time do I spend working?

How much time do I spend with family and friends?

The answers to these questions reveal my values and my priorities. Time is something I have today, but I can’t hoard it for tomorrow. I have the same amount of time every day and I spend it based on what I value.

I’ve recently been grateful to the Lord for time. I’m grateful for the lives of people close to me. I’m grateful for healing of a dear friend/brother from cancer, who’s been given more time. A  heart of gratitude regarding time will heighten my awareness of the blessings of time given to me and hopefully I will spend my time more wisely.

Pressing On!

Dwayne

P.S. This topic reminded me of a song recorded several years ago by George Strait called “Give Me More Time”