“Time is an illusion, lunchtime doubly so.” – Douglas Adams
Time between things is the worst for me. I don’t like waiting, even though waiting is something my Master has directed me to do. My frustration with waiting makes these times between things particularly difficult for me. There’s too little time to accomplish any task (even fun ones), and too much time to just leave because you’d be way too early. It’s an illusion that stems from my selfishness, I know that, but I still don’t like it.
It’s not enough to know that my Master has called me to wait, worship, and walk before Him. I know that waiting is something He wants of me specifically and personally. I figure it’s because I don’t like it, and, to do it, shaves more off my self-centered paradigm. It’s His way of making me more into the image of Himself.
Paul probably experienced this frustration at being caught between things in Troas…
They passed through the Phrygian and Galatian region, having been forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia; and after they came to Mysia, they were trying to go into Bithynia, and the Spirit of Jesus did not permit them; and passing by Mysia, they came down to Troas. (Acts 16:6-8 NASB)
I doubt very much that selfishness drove Paul’s attempts to reach into Asia and Bithynia, but, it still had to be frustrating to be working blindly to find where Jesus did want them to go. It turns out Troas was where He wanted them to go, Paul and Silas were simply being directed there. These times between times are times where my Master is teaching me to look for what He wants. It’s the “not getting what I want” that creates the frustration. Wanting what He wants would alleviate that.
It is an important reality that my Master doesn’t waste time and opportunity. I am to be like Paul, going to the tempo of my Master; being where He wants, when He wants. Right now, I want to work on a book I’m compiling from my journey through Judges. But I can’t go at the pace I want. I need to take it in steps. I hate that. On the other hand, going at the pace of my Master is part of obedience as much as doing the thing itself. Remember, this is relational not legal. The only ritual is the seeking of His Spirit in any given situation.
So, now I wait in Troas for the vision of the next step. I’ll try not to twiddle my thumbs so dramatically, and maybe listen for my Master’s still small voice.
That’s my view through the knothole this morning. What’s your view like this morning?
Knothole Theology 