Back to the Future

Back to the Future

It’s one of the best moments of the year.   

No, I’m not talking about Christmas morning or Super Bowl Sunday.   It happened this past weekend — that moment we go back in time — when we get to turn the clocks back an hour.   It’s like magic.   It’s like owning your own DeLorean with a mini flux capacitor.   That extra hour is the ultimate snooze button and leaves us wondering, “Why can’t we do this every Saturday night?”

It’s easy to dream up a million reasons why having full control over time would be awesome. Running late for work?  Just click back 15 minutes.  Can’t wait for the big game to start?  Just twirl ahead a couple hours!

We imagine the ability to bend time would be a fantastic addition to our lifestyle, but it reveals something deeper about our desire for instant results.  We love quick, convenient solutions for everything.  In fact, sometimes we get frustrated when God doesn’t provide us with time-machine-type answers to our prayers.   

Mary and Martha certainly felt this way in John 11.  The two sisters longed to turn the clock back so Jesus could heal their brother, Lazarus, before it was too late.   They wished Jesus had changed His plans to match their particular needs.  “Lord, if only you had been here, my brother would not have died…” (John 11:21; 32)

Mary and Martha learned a dramatic lesson that day: God is not bound by time or circumstances.  After Jesus raised Lazarus back to life, they understood that faith isn’t about instant results.  It’s about trusting His purpose.  Even in the most dire circumstance, God still had a plan.

We’ll never be able to control time, but we believe in a God who dwells outside of it.   We may never understand when or why God chooses to work, but we can peacefully and faithfully proclaim, “I am trusting You… You are my God!   My times are in Your hands.” (Psalm 31:14-15) 

– Ron Reid