I’ve had a lot of different clocks in my house and in my stores over the years; the battery-operated ones, electric ones and the antique ones you wind up with a key. I’ve sold many different kinds over the years, and I always remind people to always move the hands ahead and not back, as that will ruin the mechanism in the clock. With the key wind clocks, you have to be careful to keep track of how many days before you need to rewind them and not wind them too tight. And always remember to never lose the key!

Clocks continue to change over the years, but they are really important in our lives because most of us run on a time schedule with “so much to do, so little time.” I have many responsibilities and activities in my life so I have to keep track of hours and days so that I can keep on schedule. And I also seem to have an inner clock that tells me when I’m running down and need time to rewind and get my energy back.

There’s one thing in my life that needs to be daily wound into my schedule for my life to keep ticking and in good working order and that’s my relationship with God. He’s the key, the one who can recharge my battery and give me the strength I need for each new day. His blessings are new every morning and He always seems to take time to guide me through my Bible reading and devotionals and prepare me for the day ahead. He can lead me on a steady path, so I don’t waste time going the wrong way. His Word revives my heart for the day ahead. 

Although some people have their Quiet Time at different hours of the day, it’s important for me to get up early in the morning, get my coffee, and go to my Quiet Time place. It’s a place where my purpose is to meet with God, with my Bible and devotional books and reference books I use, and when I sit down there, I can relax and know why I am there. I take time to praise God for who He is, such as Psalm 8:1 “O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is Thy name in all the earth, who has displayed Thy splendor above the heavens!” or the praises in Psalm 89. Our God is a holy God, yet He desires for us to come to Him as our Father who loves us and desires to guide us, and who wants the best for us each day. As I praise Him, I begin to relax and concentrate on my prayer time with Him.

It’s important to take time to listen to Him, too, and focus on what we read in our daily Bible reading. I have to stay focused on being in His presence, and not worrying about my plans for the day, but remember to hand those plans over to Him for His guidance. He is the one in charge of my time. He will help me accomplish what concerns me. He is the key part of my day, the one who saves me from being wound too tight.

God’s timing is amazing; He sometimes waits, as the clock keeps ticking away the time, and at the last minute says, “Here it is, the answer to your prayer.” The longer I serve Him the more I realize He didn’t forget, He wasn’t ready yet, and I needed to wait. His timing is always perfect to produce the best outcome for my life.

Ecc.3:1 “There is an appointed time for everything. And there is a time for every event under heaven…” and He goes on for the next 7 verses to explain further. He mentions in verse 11 that “He has made everything appropriate in its time.” 

Ecc.3:12,13 “I know that there is nothing better for them than to rejoice and to do good in one’s lifetime; moreover, that every man who eats and drinks sees good in all his labor—it is the gift of God.”

God created time and will show us how to use it wisely. It’s up to us to trust Him and allow Him to work in His time. That reminds me of the hymn “In His Time”. It says, “In His time, in His time, He makes all things beautiful in His time. Lord, please show me every day as You’re teaching me Your way, that You do just as You say in Your time.” Won’t you trust Him with your time today?