Friday evenings appear to me to hold the promise of endless possibilities. After a tiring week at work, Friday evening is a time to unwind, relax a little, and perhaps get a treat (like ordering pizza). Unlike the flitting moments of the evenings Monday through Thursday, Friday evening seems especially long and reluctant to pass. Plus there’s Saturday and Sunday to look forward to. With a long evening and 48 hours of weekend, anything’s possible!

But in spite of what calendars may say, Friday evening is immediately followed by Sunday evening. Technically there is a Saturday and Sunday in between, but for all practical purposes they are non-existent. No sooner have I decided whether or not to have that extra slice of pepperoni pizza than I find myself sitting at the kitchen table after the Sunday evening church service thinking “I’d better get to bed so I’m up in time for work.” “Vanity of vanities,” says this preacher, “Friday evenings are vain.”

Time is a tricky thing. It’s sneaky and deceptive. It will become an oppressive enemy unless we are willing to recognize God’s sovereignty over it. For this, Solomon is our best guide.

For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven: a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted; a time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; a time to seek, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away; a time to tear, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak; a time to love, and a time to hate; a time for war, and a time for peace. (Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 ESV)

An appropriate time exists for every endeavor. None of us accomplishes all that we desire. Someone has said that only God gets his “to do” list completed every day. A part of recognizing God’s sovereignty is recognizing our limitations. On Friday evening, I’m Superman (with tomato sauce on my costume), but by Sunday evening I’m just tired and frustrated. I didn’t do all that I wanted to do and accomplish my goals and have my fun. When we focus on ourselves, time is a relentless enemy. When we turn our eyes toward God, we recognize time as the successive moments in which he acts to fulfil his purposes within the theatre of redemption. Our times are in his hands (Ps. 31:15), and that knowledge gives us peace.

This entry was posted on Friday, July 31st, 2009 at 5:00 am and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.