Over the next few days I am going to repost three articles authored by ‘UnderTheRadar’ over at Revival School. I found them all thought provoking and a blessing, and I thought you might too. Here is the first, the original can be found here.

Time, time, time… time is of the essence. There is not enough of it to go around. Every free moment is spoken for and before we’ve had a chance to catch our breath, another day has passed rudely behind us. There aren’t enough hours in the day to complete every task. There aren’t enough minutes in the hour to carefully and effectively address each issue. Where have the years gone? How did they slip away so casually, almost without notice? Time is taking its toll, literally running the show. I would raise my fist and curse the cause of my frustration, but the moments would continue to tick away in cruel defiance.

Some would say that ours is a race against time, marked by our speed and agility in reference to reaching our destination. What then is the measure of our achievement and success? Presumably, our pace must be gauged by those competitors, whom we’ve overtaken, and those we hope to surpass. This is not a contest of endurance, but of skill and prowess. The destination is no longer the focus, but our position with reference to our opponents. Speed becomes the primary objective. Everything else is sacrificed, for the higher claim of speed. Speed is obtained through practice and diligence, pain and effort, discipline and the desire for success. Though many eventually reach their final destination, some may be regarded with disdain, because the only standard of achievement is how meritoriously each contestant has placed.

Clearly ours is not a contest against time, but a race measured by distance; the distance between the pursuer and the pursued. Life is not a test of our ability, but His timeless search for evidence of our hunger to know Him in all of His meekness and majesty. Time is of the essence, only when it’s wasted on meaningless pursuits, defeating our own purpose. Is there a higher cause or a greater goal than the intimacy of His Holy presence? We cannot reclaim lost time nor recycle it. Nonetheless, it only takes an instant to narrow the gap of intimacy that a lifetime of indifference has created.

How many moments are spent in devotion, service and even ministry, unaware that He stands in our midst? How often have we poured over His Word in concentrated study, unaware of the warmth of His breath on our brow? So often we unburden our hearts to Him in agonizing prayer, not noticing His lips gently caressing our cheek. So many intimate moments are lost in our vain attempts to impress Him. The Father of all creation, all that is holy, rare and precious, is not easily impressed. Our good works do not impress Him. We are His workmanship. Our eloquent prayers do not move Him, but the cry of hunger in our hearts does.

He is a pauper indeed, void of all the riches He died to reclaim. The Wealth of intimacy, a priceless embrace, and all those things that He cherishes and holds dear are so often denied Him. Our destitute Father cries out in despair. Who will take authority over His enemy, the empty longing in His heart? Who will fill His cup and unburden His heart and wipe the tears from His eyes?

Time is not the master of our souls; nevertheless, it yields to no one, but the precious Holy Spirit. Has He truly miscalculated the hours in one day that we so frequently come up short; or is it conceivable that we are lacking the wisdom of discerning those things that have lasting value and eternal consequence? Considering our time constraints, we graciously allot Him a spare moment in our busy schedule. Mercifully, He provides the next breath that we breathe and our next heartbeat, with no consideration of time and space. Have we so quickly forgotten that obedience is better than sacrifice? (1 Sam 15:22, Micah 6:6) Does He desire our sacrificial offerings or our hearts sacrificed on the altar of His mercy and grace? Does He prefer our service and our efforts to please Him or our deep burning desire to see His face and hear His gentle voice?

There is a river that flows from the very throne of God and it will spill into every avenue of our life and every second of our day, if we do not hinder its refreshing flow. Its compelling current will move us to places, the likes of which we’ve never even dreamed. The crystalline waters will clarify our vision to reveal the Father’s heart. Our desires will yield to His desires, uncovering those intents and purposes, which flow from obedience, rather than a desire to serve Him. It is a river of love that will etch His signature into everything that we attempt. It will breathe the very breath of life into every spoken word. It will flood the common and mundane with the miraculous. May I reiterate? It originates at His throne of mercy and grace. Not difficult to find, neither is it too arduous to access, it is but a heartbeat away. Dare we believe? Dare we receive it? Glory and majesty, wisdom and power reside in the Father’s heart. We will see it in His eyes, if we will but fall prostrate before His throne, in insatiable hunger, to seek His face.