By Christine Wyrtzen
I UNDERSTAND MY TIMES
Besides this you know the time, that the hour has come for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed. Romans 13:11
Am I fully awake? Has God caused my spiritual senses to arise out of twilight sleep? Like one who drives a ten-hour trip, I can numb out and not recall the last four hours of the trip. Unaware of the scenery. Unaware of traffic. Just marking time and watching the mile markers change. 'You know the time' has biblical history. Oh, how I can't afford to miss it. It's not about eschatology either.
In Matthew 16, the Jewish leaders came to Jesus and asked for a sign, a sign that would confirm who He was and that what He was saying was true. Jesus was firm that there were signs all around them but they refused to see them.
An even better understanding of this phrase comes from I Chronicles 12. When David was king at Hebron, a group of warriors came to his aid. (The men of Issachar predominantly.) They are described as those 'who understood the times and knew what Israel should do.' Is there anything better than keeping company with those who are spiritually astute, who know the mind and heart of God and are able to interpret the times and events! I shouldn't have to rely on those who have a prophetic gifting to understand God's heart on a matter. Yes, they possess a keen sense of God's thinking on issues but that wisdom is available to all who seek Him and seek the truth.
'Wake me up!' is what I'm praying. I don't want to be like someone who is falling asleep; slowly ceasing to hear the creaking in the floors and the din of noise from the other room. I want to put off the mindset of the world, which is hard to do if I'm on their journey of moral and spiritual decline. If Jesus were to step into my world today, read the headlines, watch the news, visit a local school, how would He react to the spiritual condition of my city, my church, my children, my home life, my marriage, and to me - most of all? Would He tell me to wake up or would He just hone my present skills and make me a more effective watchman on the wall? I don't want to assume it's the latter. I'm asking Him about it and making sure my own sin isn't numbing out my spiritual senses.
I bind my mind to your mind. Amen
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