Dear Church Family,
I don’t mean to cause any alarm, but less than an hour after midnight tonight the autumnal equinox will happen. In you want to set your alarm clock to get up and celebrate, the official time it occurs will be 12:55 AM. I do not think any fireworks will go off, though you can with joy and no guilt eat or drink anything with pumpkin spice in it! This event reminds us that God remains in control of His creation. Astronomers can pin point to the exact second when this celestial occurrence will happen. They can do this not just because they have super smarts, but due to the order God established when He spoke all things into existence.
On Wednesday the length of daytime will equal the length of night. Now, as since the start of summer, the days will get shorter. Has the sun moved in such a way to make this happen? No, the spin of the earth on its axis leads to the northern hemisphere moving away from the sun. God created this phenomenon just as he put the moon in place to cause the ocean tides that renew the environment in many ways. Growing up near a major tidal waterway, radio and TV weather reports usually included the tide tables so people knew when the water was coming in or going out. Fisherman and shipping companies valued this information and trusted the reliability of the stated time to do business.
The whole world – all of creation and all the people living in it – remain dependent on, not just time, but God’s timing. God shows this in 24-hours days as no one gets more than that amount each day. He displays it in the seasons as we move from summer to fall at an appointed time. Chew over these wise words from Marc and Denise Atchely as they wait for God’s perfect timing to place them in ministry in Athens, Greece:
We're being reminded once again that God's plan and timing doesn't always match up with our own. God did not provide the needed financial support according to our schedule. Instead He provided in His own way and in His own time. And the way He did it, left no doubt that it was His doing.
So, why isn't it easier to trust His timing with our visa? Why the impatience on our part? Are we not certain that He is working things out according to a perfectly timed plan that accomplishes His purposes in the most ideal way? Well ... sure ... of course! But at least part of the problem is that we're largely thinking about ourselves and how these delays impact us. And then there is part of us that desires to be in control of our own circumstances rather than leave them in God's hands. It's a battle with sin.
As we live in “the times that try men’s souls” may we learn afresh from Paul’s words in Galatians 6:9-10, “Let us not grow weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially those who belong to the family of believers.” Please pray for the Atchley family as they eagerly look forward to serving in Greece.
Living by grace to His glory,
Pastor Gillikin