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My Times Are in Your Hand

Posted By blakeyblog On 18th May 2006 @ 12:46 In blakeyblog | 1 Comment

Our apartment is almost all packed. Unfortunately I saved the hardest room for last–the kitchen. It has been such a blessing to have friends come by wanting to help. We’ve had a couple of very productive nights this week and now the house looks bare with no pictures on the walls and kind of empty with just boxes in the rooms. I’m glad that we paced ourselves though and didn’t procrastinate because I think it will help Saturday morning not feel stressful. On Friday we have our big end of the year banquet to honor the high school seniors, so Bobby and I will also be busy with that. The banquet will also be our last event here, so we will also have to say our goodbyes that night. I’m thankful that my younger sister Monica is coming up this afternoon to help us finish packing and get ready for the banquet. Bobby’s younger brother Ben will be flying in later tonight and will even be driving down south with us. The move doesn’t seem so overwhelming with people coming to help, so I’m grateful for that!

[1] Tyler turned three months old yesterday and the poor little guy is a little under the weather. I think he might have a cold or maybe it’s just the dust from all our packing that has him sneezing and a bit grumpy. The majority of the time though, he is–as Bobby likes to say–a “cute factory.” I really enjoy how vocal he is these days with all his cooing and now gurgling sounds. He’s also starting to not be the slender little guy like when he was a newborn. He’s got little rolls around his legs and a double chin! I’m hoping that Tyler will transition smoothly with moving and staying in someone else’s house for awhile. I guess we’ll see…

Last night at our last Bible study here, Bobby talked about Psalm 139:16 which says,

“And in Your book they all were written,
the days fashioned for me,
when as yet there were none of them.”

God has planned for each person the number of days they will live. Usually we think we’ll live till we’re 80 or 90 years old, but we don’t really know. I think it’s difficult to understand God’s perspective on this because we think that we deserve so many days or years. People often act like its unfair if a young person dies and they say, “They had so much ahead of them.” But really each day in our lives belongs to the Lord. He decided when we were born and He has already planned for each of us our last day. For some of us it might be a long time from now, and for some it might be as soon as next week. We just don’t know, but God does.

I really liked how Bobby challenged us to talk about what we would do different if we knew we would die in three days. Psalm 90:12 says, “So teach us to number our days that we may gain a heart of wisdom.” I thought it was interesting how nobody really needed to think long before saying all kinds of things they would change—being more honest with people, not complaining, expressing thanks and appreciation, witnessing to friends and family. We put off these things now, but if we knew the actual day we would die we would feel more compelled to change. But the truth is, we don’t know if that day might be tomorrow. It made me sad to think how many of us are not doing what we should.

Girls in my small group said they would go and make things right with people in their lives, say “I’m sorry” and seek forgiveness, tell their parents they love them, mend broken relationships, and say things they’ve always been afraid to say. I wish that we wouldn’t get so comfortable in our lives, as if the calendar of our days would never end, because in feeling confidant that there will be a tomorrow we put off important things we should do today. I encouraged my girls to live with the eagerness as if it was your first day of life, but also live soberly as if it could be your last.

Ephesians 5:15-17 says, “See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is.” We can basically choose one of two ways to spend our days. We can live each day for self or we can give each day back to God. I was definitely sobered by this lesson because I would not want for my time to be up and be found living for myself rather than doing what I know I should do.
Let me not think that life is mine
For I belong to Your design
You make all beautiful in time

You are my God
My times are in Your hand
You are my God
My times are in Your hand

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