And He said to them, “It is not for you to know times and seasons which the Father has put in His own authority.” Acts 1:7 [New King James Version]

Knowledge to Build On

In Acts 1, we find the disciples talking to Jesus after He’s already died and risen. He appears to them and tells them not to depart from Jerusalem. The disciples then ask Jesus if He’ll “...at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” What it sounds like they’re asking is, “Are we finished now? Can we move on to the next thing?” Of course, Jesus doesn’t give them the answer they want. He very politely and spiritually says, “That’s none of your business.”

Life in the Now

I think I’ll always remember the age I was when I first needed to own a watch. I’d never noticed how much I needed one until I was a full-time student working 30 hours a week who tried to help out at her church while also getting in some amount of time each day with her husband. Having my phone in hand to constantly check the time was just a pain in the you-know-what. So I became one of those people who checked her watch every 30 minutes to make sure my day was going according to plan. We get pretty spoiled in this way, don’t we? We get used to being able to plan and predict and prepare and control. I, unfortunately, am an addict. After graduating, I became a bit disoriented. I didn’t have a dream job lined up, I didn’t know exactly what my next step was, and, most importantly, I didn’t know what to PLAN for.

Even though the subject matter’s a bit different, I think at different stages in our lives we ask God the same sort of questions that the disciples did. “Are we finished now? Can I have my dream job yet? Should I have kids now? Can we start the next thing now?” I think that often Jesus still replies with “It is not for you to know times and seasons.” He wants us to trust and enjoy the ride. While working hard isn’t a bad thing, I’m constantly being reminded that I need to loosen my grip on planning and controlling. I need to be okay with not knowing what the next part of the ‘plan’ is.

Think About It

Do you stress out when things don’t go according to plan? Do you think this could reflect a deeper issue?

Talk About It

Father, thank you for walking with us through life’s many different seasons. When our hearts wonder about where to step next, grant us peace and wisdom. Help us to remember that You are in control. Amen.

More of the Truth

Proverbs 16:9, Jeremiah 10:23