Pastor's Column 7/14/2024

PASTOR’S COLUMN

“But Abishai son of Zeruiah came to David’s rescue; he struck the Philistine down and killed him, saying, “Never again will you go out with us to battle, so that the lamp of Israel will not be extinguished.” 2 Samuel 21:15-17, NLT

“The Passage of Time!”

One of the realities of living is what happens to us in the passage of time. Life, the Scripture says, can be “swift.” Time becomes the defining perimeter of our existence as human beings. That is, the time of our mortal years and days on earth. As we live, so do we change. Sometimes change advances on us so quickly, we miss its pronouncements. Then there are times when the will to continue with life as we’ve done in the past eludes us. Given moments and incidents which occur, we slowly come to the realization that change has been knocking on our door. We will welcome change as a new friend, who can lead us to a different, yet more commendable place in life. Or we can ignore the relentless beat on the door and remain locked between the past that will never be again; and a future that is not measured by time, but by fulfillment. King David was faced with this dilemma on a scorching battlefield before his perennial enemy, the Philistine army. Having won many battles before, David was confident leading his troops again. But things had changed. David had reached his senior years. The recruits were much younger, and David’s agility had waned. David surely would have died in battle on that day, but for the swift action of one of his younger soldiers. The passage of time had brought David to the end of his commander years. The soldiers gathered around him. They respected him as their leader. But they knew to protect David’s integrity and honor, the battlefield was no longer a place for him. They honored him as the “light of Israel,” and vowed their light would never be extinguished. David was, as Bishop T. D. Jakes commented, their General. In God’s providential care, there is always a place for His children. We need not fear the passage of time; for the psalmist says, “My times are in Your hands...” (Psalm 31:15a, KJV). Like the flow of streams in the great waters, so is life, and God is the source of the waters. We must turn every passage into a promise. God gives us new spaces for grace each day we live.