Knowing Time

“Knowing Time As Well as I Do”
Nina Fuller

The Mad Hatter in Lewis Carroll’s classic “Alice in Wonderland” states “If you knew Time as well as I do, you wouldn’t talk about wasting it.” I couldn’t agree more.

After recently re-reading this enchanting children’s tale, I realize that too much of my own personality was reflected in the harried and hurried White Rabbit. Each scene in which White Rabbit appears, he is hurrying down, muttering to himself, trotting along, re-tracing his steps, barking orders, hastily interrupting, and jumping up – all in a great frenzy to accomplish his job as Wonderland’s royal administrator.

Does this sound like you or anyone your immediate family might know? You are busy because you have important tasks to accomplish and lots of details in between appointments that must get done or else…You hurry downstairs in the morning in order to get the family off to school, go to your job or possibly volunteer at your church or favorite ministry. You glance back and see last night’s dishes, as well as the morning’s cereal bowls and half finished juice glasses scattered throughout the cluttered kitchen. “Maybe Danielle will clean up after school before I get home” you wishfully think of your teenage daughter. Then you realize that she promised to babysit the neighbor’s toddler so the mom could do grocery shopping without chubby little hands helping add groceries to the cart. You sigh as you remember the days when your toddlers were too helpful and wish your adolescents would be more helpful now that you are back in the workforce.

You quickly toss your purse into the car and look behind you to make sure your college-age son didn’t park directly in back of you when he got home after you went to bed. Good thing you looked because his ’95 Thunderbird is, indeed, behind you. You jump out, run upstairs and bark an order at him to get his rear end out of bed and you don’t care that it’s his day off and the rest of the world doesn’t get the day off and (deep breath) by the way the bedroom is a complete disaster zone and you expect it to be clean when you get home. You rush downstairs and out the door only to remember that you forgot to ask him to move his car because you were so distracted by the condition of his room. You run back up to get his keys, steaming mad and ready to have a melt down. All before 8:00 AM.

Earlier that morning, during your five minutes of quiet time with the Lord, you quickly read through Psalm 46 because you had lost track earlier in the month which daily reading you were supposed to be on after you got through the first thirty one chapters. You flipped open your beloved Bible that doesn’t get enough attention these days, and thought, “Psalm 46. I think I’ll read this today.”
“God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble…
Be still, and know that I am God….”
Your prayer went something like this, “Dear Lord, I have a full day today, and I need your strength. Please help me to remember that You are my strength and you are with me.

Help me to be patient with the kids, loving to my husband (and that’s another matter I’ll have to discuss with you later in the car, God) and to show other people the joy of living the Christian life so they will want to become a believer, too. Amen.”

You scurry off to your appointment, feeling totally defeated. This is not how you wanted to start your day. In fact, you had your morning devotions and expected things to go smoothly because you had your time with God that morning. “Something’s gotta change” you say to yourself, or maybe to God. “This can’t possibly be the life You’ve called me to, Lord. What are we doing wrong? I can’t keep up with all of this craziness.”

As you head down the expressway, you hear the word of God speak to you “Be still and know that I am God.” “Lord, I want to be still but I’m driving 65 mph.” “Funny girl,” God seems to say. “Be still and know that I am God.” Nine single syllable words. Easy! First grade, reader-friendly words.
1. Be still - part one of the command
Directed at the reader (the Subject is “You” understood)
2. Know - Part two of the command is “Know”
Know what? – that “I am God”
3. God, Himself, is speaking the command, talking about Himself
He speaks directly
He speaks with authority
He speaks conclusively as the verse continues with “I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth….”

When God speaks, we need to listen. He never wastes words (or time) and we should never be too busy to listen. By listening and obeying the compound command of God in this one little verse of Scripture, we begin to benefit immediately.
• Be still – quiet down, stop fluttering, don’t be so hasty, slow the pace, no muttering, no scurrying….be – still – a state of being without doing
• Know – come to realize, believe in, accept as truth
• God is God – He simply is the Great I Am – Ya-weh

Feel better yet? You should. Calm assurance should be soothing you right about now, especially as you rest in the fact that God declares that He will be exalted among the nations and in the earth. That’s right where you are. You can rest assured.

Nina Fuller, speaker/author
www.ninafuller.org