Trusting God All 23 Hours Of The Day


Ever feel like there aren't enough hours in the day? Like you just can't squeeze everything you need into 24 hours? And then there's this week. On Saturday night our clocks spring forward and now you only get 23 hours. Looks like your going to need another cup of coffee.

Another possibility is that there are enough hours in the day, and we’re just doing things wrong. In this scenario God actually set up the rotation of the planet and the earth's orbit perfectly. In this school of thought we must be trying to squeeze too much into those 24 hours.

As we approach the celebration of Jesus’ resurrection I often like to reread through Jesus’ final 24 hours on earth. He packed a lot in.

Things begin in the guest room where he first serves communion at the Passover, and washes His disciple's feet. He then heads to the Garden for a time of truly wrestling in prayer. We then find him in the courtyard as He stands trial. This wasn’t unexpected. He chose to leave with the soldiers after healing Malchus when Peter cut off his ear. He carries his cross to Golgotha. He’s crucified. The day concludes in a tomb that couldn't hold him. As days go this was surely the most difficult of Jesus’ life. Yet it was a day where he was completely led by the Holy Spirit, and all was going according to Father’s plan. 

We love verses like Jeremiah 29:11, and with good reason. 
“‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the LORD, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future’.”
We mistakingly think such verses mean we will never get a parking ticket, stub our toes on table legs, or have bad hair days. The verse above was real in the lives of the disciples as they were tortured and killed for preaching the gospel. Perhaps our understanding of what it means to be prospered by God isn’t what he had in mind?

As we spend time with our Savior, whose day was completely led by God, my prayer is for yours and my days to be as well. And that we will recognize how an eternal God’s idea of a future and a hope can be quite different than what a finite human may have in mind. When I think about my future I’m looking 20, 25, 30 years ahead. Father is gazing into eternity. I think I’ll trust him with the next 24 (or 23) hours, and encourage you to as well.

When you grab that extra cup of joe to get you through our upcoming shortened day don't forget me. A little cream, no sugar, please. (How could anyone ruin a perfectly good cup of coffee by putting sugar in it?)

Following the Son,

James A Williams

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