I woke up from a nap to see my watch fall off my arm. The band had been severed. It wasn’t a rip or tear or worn, just a clean cut. I don’t make a habit of napping with scissors and knives, or any other sharp objects for that matter. I have no idea how my watch band was cut so clean. Even retracing my steps from earlier in the day left no possibility of this happening.
Because of the oddity, I whispered a prayer, “You trying to talk to me, Jesus? I’m listening.”
It was later that evening during some living room worship at a friend’s house when I felt the Lord say, “Time still moves, unwatched.” I quickly jotted that down in my journal. As I wrote, the rest followed.
Time still moves, unwatched
Get lost in the day
It’ll be here before you know it
Be free from time
Be free from schedule
Be free from not here yet
I’ll be open here. I have a lot of what I consider “time sensitive” questions before the Lord. Not just one. A lot. I know I’m not the only one. Maybe it’s my current season of life, but more than ever I find myself asking, “Can it be today? How much longer? Something needs to shift, Jesus! I’m so tired, Father!”
But on this particular day, time must have tried to shackle me. Jesus wasn’t having it. Just like the watch band, he severed my obsession with time. He cut me free from the bind of not here yet. And let me testify, there is an unnecessary weight to the not here yet. We are not created to carry that weight. Regardless of what it feels like to us, time belongs to God, and he is perfect at it. He loves to catch our time-centered cares as we throw them at him. He carries time, all of it, with wisdom and compassion.
To give myself some credit, I do rest in him. I am not without peace and joy. But, I make it a point to ask about those things a couple of times of day, at the least. I know the Lord delights in my eyes looking to him and my voice calling his name. Even that is a step of faith.
As he rescued me from this trap, I remembered his thoroughness. He is Deliverer. Delivery involves being picked up, moved, and placed in a new location. When God rescues us, he doesn’t just get us out of the bondage and leave us there to fend for ourselves. He completely delivers us—picks us up, moves us, places us elsewhere. Sometimes it is instantly. Sometimes it is a journey.
When we’ve lived chained to something for a long time, freedom can often feel bare. But Jesus never leaves us exposed. His freedom is actually a cover. It’s a promise that he holds everything together and that he is at work for us (Colossians 1). Also, his freedom is a banner of love over us. It declares we belong to him, and he belongs us (Songs 8). Without coincidence, there was a rainbow arching over my friend’s home where we worshiped that same night. I saw it partially as I drove, distractedly I should add. As I turned on their street, there the rainbow was in full view, in perfect form, in precise placement.
He cares about us beforehand, at present, and all the way to forever—guaranteed!
So, friends! If you’re waiting, I dare you not to watch the pot while comes to a boil. I dare you to let time move, unwatched. I dare you to throw the weight of not here yet on the keeper of time. Let him be the Deliverer. You are not alone. You are not forgotten. It’s quite the opposite, actually. So enjoy your days!
Brave Sparrow 