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The Redemption of Time
Time is a river, and runs only once under the bridge of life
Time is a river, and runs only once under the bridge of life
Compiled
by Christine Darg
The beginning of a New Year is a reality
check causing us to consider the passing away of our days.
We may spend them like a spendthrift but a
New Year makes us realize how transitory is life.
“Teach us to number
our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.” (Psalm 90:12, KJV)
“To number our days
aright let us know, And we bring the heart to wisdom.” (Young’s Literal
translation)
In other words, teach us to use wisely all
the time we have.
What do the commentaries teach on this verse?
Divine arithmetic at the close of one year
and the beginning of another.
As the miser counts and recounts his gold, so
we must count our days.
70 x 365= 25,550 days on average. That’s very
few days in light of eternity.
It’s not mathematical but moral counting — a
numbering that brings glory to God.
Consider striking Bible comparisons of our
life – weaver’s shuttle; passing shadow; vapour, grass that wilts.
The generations are like the changing
sentinel watch in the night.
Days may seem to go
slowly; they really hurry by. “Thou carriest them away as with a flood.”
This life is a season of probation, assigned
to us for the purpose of making our choice between everlasting happiness or
misery.
We have a soul to save, a crown to win; and
there should be jewels in the crown. Can we do it alone? Ask for God’s wisdom
and help.
King Alfred, who, in the days long before the
modern time-pieces were invented, used to divide the day into three parts,
eight hours each, and then had three wax candles.
By the time the first candle had burned to the
socket, eight hours had gone; and when the second candle had burned to the
socket, another eight hours had gone; and when all the three were gone out,
then the day had passed.
O that some of us, instead of calculating our
days by any earthly time-piece, may calculate them by the numbers of
opportunities and mercies which are burning down and burning out, never to be
relighted.
Our days have certain boundaries by Divine
Providence. They have a limit within the scope of our powers to calculate.
Man’s life on earth is comparatively short.
We are asked to number our days, and not our years or months or weeks. We must
live a day at a time.
FOR WHAT PURPOSE WE ARE TO NUMBER OUR DAYS?
1. So as to be ready
for the last one when it comes. What is the preparation needed? To be in
Christ, and so escape condemnation in the judgment (Romans 8:1).
To be like Christ, and so fit for the pure
joys and company of heaven (1 John 3:2).
To be each of these things now, as our last
day may come at any time (Matthew
24:44).
2. So as to use them
to the best advantage. Time given to sin is wasted and something worse.
You must not only be doing, but doing good.
Cultivating the garden of life. Digging out the weeds, and digging in the
flowers and useful herbs (Ephesians
4:22).
Cultivating the garden of your neighbour
also.
Helping the sinful out of sin, the
suffering out of sickness, the sorrowful out of grief (1 John 3:17; Romans
9:1-3; 2 Corinthians 1:4).
3. So as to make up
for lost days. Time is a river, and runs only once under the bridge of life.
Still lost time may be made up for a little
by working extra in the time that remains.
The train behind time makes up for it by
putting on extra speed. But even this is impossible without the redemption of
time.
I was blessed once by a rabbi with the
redemption of time. May we throw ourselves upon the mercy of God for the
redemption of time and our days.
Christine
Darg
was graduated from Virginia Commonwealth University with honors in journalism
and she holds a diploma from Westminster College Oxford in early church
history. Her healing ministry goes back to her earliest childhood memory– a
visitation from Jesus in an open vision during a life-threatening illness. His
appearance to heal her totally was not a Sunday school image of a “Gentile
Jesus,” but a King of semitic, Mideastern features. Growing up in America,
Christine’s godly parents taught her deep roots in the Hebrew Scriptures and an
undeniable connection with the Jewish people.
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