#25 My Heart Undressed | Ticking Clock
JANE PHINNEY: There is a mere 1-second tick between life & death. We can plan to our heart’s content. But it is God’s prerogative to direct our steps & possibly shake things up…
THE TICKING CLOCK!
By Jane Phinney
Listen to the podcast version:
I sit in the early morning solitude. Though it’s still dark outside, the birds are awakening my world with gentle songs.
In the quiet I hear it again. Our ticking clock reminds me that time is passing. The rhythmic cadence I hear is proof that seconds of my life are already part of my history. And I can’t go back.
Good or bad, yesterday is gone & we cannot retrieve it or change the way in which it played out. We can’t retract spoken words or erase the effects of sudden actions. The way it was before we said what we said, or did what we did, has been forever altered…for better or for worse. Man knows not his time. We would be wiser not to assume, & act, as if we control the ticking clock.
There is a mere 1-second tick between life & death. We can plan to our heart’s content. But it is God’s prerogative to direct our steps & possibly shake things up…to our way of thinking, anyway. The Father really does know best & works all things for good in the lives of those who love Him. And faith believes Him & assures confidently what we cannot see in the present.
When you look at a clock, or hear it ticking, does your mind go to past regrets? Or are you seizing the moment God has given you?
The enemy of our souls, & the defiler of our Lord Jesus, would seek to hold us captive to the backward glances. This simple tactic guarantees defeat in the present. And we can get stuck in analytical quicksand.
We cannot store treasures in heaven if we aren’t looking forward, as fuel, for today’s ticking clock. What is your focus while living out the time God has gifted to you? Self-focus squanders the potential for eternity. But trusting Jesus to direct our steps levels the playing field between the smallest acts of service & a monumental accomplishment. Because only what’s done through Christ changes people. Only what’s done through Christ is a treasure in heaven. Only what’s done through Christ glorifies the Father. Time is a gift from God. How we use it is our gift to Him. He sees the beginning & the end of our lives in one glance. Do we trust Him in the seconds, minutes, & hours of the day we’re living?
“Thank you, Father, that you teach me in the present, by confirming Your many revelations of Truth in the past. Your thoughts & ways are so beyond my thoughts & ways. Everything comes to fruition in Your timing. Keep me faithful in the present “tick” on the clock of my life. Thank You, that You are the stability of my times, a wealth of salvation, wisdom & knowledge. Fearing You is my treasure. (Isaiah 33:6) In the matchless Name of Jesus Christ I pray, Amen”
“Believe God’s Word & power more than you believe your own feelings & experiences. Your Rock is Christ & it isn’t that Rock that ebbs and flows---but your sea.” (Samuel Rutherford, 1600-1661)
Worship with me today. Songwriter, Jane Phinney & Vocalist, Elijah Musika, Come Home to Me, iZ Music.
The ticking clock marks our journey through time to the return of Christ. That day is drawing ever closer! I surrender my past to God who continues to fulfill His promise in Romans 8:28
[28] And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. (ESV)
I wondered why God continues to work with me, now that I am old. He reminded me that we are His eternal children. As we continue to live according to His will, He enables us to have an impact on life now, and in eternity! What a wonderful privilege!