Photo and Commentary ©2023 by Robert Howson
Tuesday, April 11, 2023
It must have seemed like an eternity, the time it took to persuade those unresponsive, atrophied muscles to act to the time it took to drag himself to the edge of the pool. And that eternity dragged on, 38 long years of dragging according to John 5:5. Strange, isn’t it, the more immediately we feel our need of something, the faster time slips through our fingers but the longer the clock seems to have been ticking.
Apparently, humans aren’t the only ones affected by time, just the only ones who keep looking at the clock. The Orchard Oriole has many miles to go and many promises to keep in its annual cycle. It leaves its wintering range in Central America in March or April, takes the night flight north as far as the southern provinces of Canada, finds a mate, builds a complex nest, raises its young, and returns to its starting point by mid-July. Yet, in spite of this agenda, the smallest of the North American orioles still finds time to sing.
And how does God relate to time? Apparently quite differently than the orioles or ourselves. But notice how even the eternal God accommodates and makes provision for those of us bound by the constraints of time. “Therefore since it still remains for some to enter that rest, and since those who formerly had the good news proclaimed to them did not go in because of their disobedience, God again set a certain day, calling it “Today”. This he did when a long time later he spoke through David, as in the passage already quoted: ‘Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts.’” (Hebrews 4:6-7 NIV) It must seem like an eternity to God while waiting for us to decide for Him, especially since He has the living water all ready.