Time is in His Hands

“So the sun stood still and the moon stayed in place until the nation of Israel had defeated its enemies.” Joshua 10:13a (NLT)

Has there ever been a time when you longed for just a little more light in your day to accomplish your tasks? When you need more time, do you ask God for it? After all, time is in His hands.

God knew Joshua needed a little more time in his day, so He gave it to him.

Joshua and the Israelite armies were in battle against five combined Amorite armies to conquer the land allotted to them after crossing the Jordan. Joshua and his men were tired. The warring for the land had been intense. As the leader, Joshua decided to travel all night for a surprise attack. And then Joshua asked God to hold the sun and moon still so they could fight.

Over a decade ago God called me to radically trust Him with my time and get up each morning before the sun rose to spend time in prayer, and in His Word.

How can I do this? I remember asking the Lord.

I argued: I am a busy wife and mother. The baby is only a few months old. I need sleep.

It never occurred to me to ask God to help me by adjusting my time so that I could walk in obedience to Him as well as take care of all my other responsibilities.

Eventually I obeyed, but not wholeheartedly. My problem wasn’t that I did not want to know God better through prayer and His Word. My problem was that I believed I could manage the time in my day better than He could. I believed the lie that told me I was in control, arranged my day, and accomplished much. The lie told me I did not need God for the little details of my day-to-day living. The lie told me I did not need to tithe the first fruits of my day to God. The lie, lied.

Like the Amorite armies were defeated, eventually so was my lie.

Over the last decade I have learned like Joshua, to call on God and ask Him to “let the sun and moon stand still” so that I can accomplish what He has ordained for me to do. It is my desire to be at peace with His timing and not to complete my checklist.

Do I believe He has held time in His hands for me? Yes I do. How can that be? He is God, the great I AM, and the Creator of time. I am just a little “i am not” enjoying the story of God one day at a time.

When you need more time, will you ask God for it? Will you trust Him to hold your time in His nailed-scarred hands?

Dear Lord, help me know You are good and that I can trust You. Remind me today that my time is in Your hands. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

7 Comments

  1. Thanks for your encouraging post! I have struggled with this same thing. I am going to spend some time with God and ask Him to arrange my schedule! He knows the best answer, and my futile attempts don’t usually work. Thanks again!

  2. Thanks for writing this. It was not serendipity that I read this either. Spending more time w/God is something he’s been telling me to do for a couple of years, as my time has become more stretched with all our goings on. Lots of little things have happened over the last year that leave me pondering and I pray often that He will help me accomplish what He wants me to do. And I pray that He will increase my hunger for Him too. However how your words – to ask God to help by adjusting my time so that I can walk in obedience to Him as well as take care of all my other responsibilities – this struck home. Wow! I never thought to ask in quite that way. Thank you again!

  3. This is something God has been speaking to me about lately. I used to wake up before dawn to spend time with God in His Word. Somehow over the years, I have stopped that habit. I desire to start it back, and God has been nudging me to. This is something that I’m having a hard time doing, although I truly do want to. Please pray for me in this area. I want my morning devotional time back!

  4. God had lead me to this this very morning exactly one month after your post. I have been asked to lead our closing thoughts for our ladies retreat on November 7th. The opening discussion will be on the Mary and Martha’s of our today and finding peace in our lives to be able to do it all and still be with our Prince of Peace. God’s timing is always perfect and He will always provide. Thank you Wendy for sharing this insight. The deeper I am in Him, the more doors He opens for my heart to see Him.

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