Line Upon Line

"Like an emperor whose writ is absolute within his empire, the unexamined tyranny of modern time imposes its perspectives and preferences on all who live within its sway." Os Guinness

Last week I discovered an interesting book by Os Guinness. Its intriguing title, Prophetic Untimeliness: A Challenge to the Idol of Relevance, urged me to pull it from the Borders shelf and take a closer look. It's a book about time, and the times in which we live. It's a challenge to the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ to understand these times and to rethink how we can become more effective in our witness without losing our faith in the process.

There's been a lot of talk recently about the need for the Church to relate to the world. For over 20 years, I, too, have been concerned that the Church seems out of touch and disconnected from the world we are called to reach. Yes, we are to be separate; but at the same time we are supposed to be salt and light, and "go into all the world and preach the gospel." We are to "become all things to all men" so we might win some to Christ. I call it "connecting without compromising."

Os's concern is that in our quest to be more relevant, we have become quite irrelevant. This might sound like a lot of double-talk, but Os makes a good point. At the dawn of the 21st century, he wonders whether we are influencing the world, or the world is influencing us. That is, has our quest for relevance produced in us an unfaithfulness to God and His Word? It's an important question that bears prayerful consideration. Maybe we'll talk more about this another time; but today, I want to consider the subject of time, itself.

Keeping Time

"The weight, and noise, and pace of modern secular life are almost overwhelming." Os Guinness

Os begins his book by observing the degree that the clock drives our modern world. He wrote, "The tick-tock of the clock has become the background drum-beat and staccato bark of the drill sergeant who drives us across the parade ground of life." He notes that the Western world hasn't been quite the same since the invention of the mechanical clock in Europe around A.D. 1400. In many ways, Western culture is defined by its observance of time. Indeed, we have become servants--no, make that slaves--of "time." This unholy alliance--this master/servant relationship with time--is expressed in a Filipino saying; "Westerners are people with gods on their wrists."

Now, once upon a time, human beings lived their lives in rhythm with God's creation--with the rising and setting of the sun, and changing of the seasons. Today, we are "clock watchers"--those whose lives are dictated, driven, and often determined by atomically accurate hour, minute, and second hands, and glow-in-the-dark digital displays.

Time Out

Last evening, on the Fox News program, Heartland, host John Kasich interviewed Focus on the Family's Dr. James Dobson. One of John's questions begged an answer for the increasing divorce rate and breakdown of the traditional family. Dr. Dobson said that we're just too busy. We exist in a society where there's too much to do, and too little time to do it. And if we do have any time left after we've done all the things we need to do, we're just too tired to invest ourselves in the husband/wife and parent/child relationships that keep families healthy and strong.

I'm convinced that this "time crunch" is a key part of Satan's plan for the destruction of man. The "god of this world" has designed endless diversions and distractions into his diabolical world system. As a result, we are apt to live frenzied lives--constantly on the run from place to place and from one appointment to the next. The American Heritage Dictionary, Fourth Edition, defines frenzied as: "a state of violent mental agitation or wild excitement; temporary madness or delirium; a mania; a craze." I can relate to that. How about you?

No Other Gods

Jesus warned "no one can serve two masters." In the context of Scripture, Jesus was referring to serving God or serving riches, wealth, or "things." But, I think "time" might qualify as another "master"--one to whom we bow and serve--one who demands our attention and keeps us so busy, we have little time or energy left to worship and serve the one, true God.

We feel remorse and guilt about the situation. And we lament the lack of time for godly pursuits. We're heard to say, "It's hard to find time to pray," and "I'll help (witness, serve, etc.) when I get some extra time." But "extra time" and "more time" are quite difficult to "find"--especially when there are already more demands on our time than we have time for.

Os Guinness offers an answer to our time-deficit dilemma. It's not a new idea--just a timely one.

How then do we lift ourselves above the level of the finite and the mundane to gain an eternal perspective on what is true and relevant? The biblical answer is blunt in its candor. By ourselves we can't. We can't break out of Plato's cave of the human, with all its smoke and flickering shadows on the wall. We can't raise ourselves above the level of the timebound and the earthbound by such feeble bootstraps as reason. But where we are limited by our own unaided efforts, we have help.

We have been rescued. As the story of religion and philosophy shows, our own human explorations--brilliant, profound, and tireless though they have been--never have and never will break out of the silence, whether the numinous final silence of eastern mysticism or the cold, bleak silence of atheism. But we are not left in despair. God has broken into our silence. He has spoken and has come down himself. And in his written and living Word we are given truth from outside our situation, truth that throws light on our little lives and our little world. This word of God is the only effective Archimedean point to gain the leverage to raise us above the forces of gravity in our human condition.

Quiet Time

An Archimedean point is a vantage point from which an observer can objectively see things in their totality. Where can we find such a place that allows us to view the world for what it is and see our way through this maze called "life"?

There is such a place--it is called the presence of God. David referred to it as "the secret place of the most High." It's the place where time stands still. But this divine place is not found casually or by chance. One has rightly said, "God does not honor the casual inquirer; He honors the diligent seeker." The Word of God urges us to "seek Me while I may be found," and "you will find Me when you search for me with all your heart," and "ask, seek, knock," and "God is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him."

We need to spend time with God so we can hear His eternal, timeless Word--the Word that gives life and brings direction, strength, and comfort to the hearts of those who seek Him. But it will take time to find that place of other-worldly wisdom and rest.

I receive an email daily devotional called, Insight for Leaders, which is based on the writings of A.W. Tozer. Today's edition "just so happened" to expand on this thought of spending time in God's presence. In his book, The World: Playground or Battleground?, Tozer wrote:

Dr. Moody Stuart, a great praying man of a past generation, once drew up a set of rules to guide him in his prayers. Among these rules is this one: 'Pray till you pray.'...

The habit of breaking off our prayers before we have truly prayed is as common as it is unfortunate. Often the last 10 minutes may mean more to us than the first half hour, because we must spend a long time getting into the proper mood to pray effectively. We may need to struggle with our thoughts to draw them in from where they have been scattered through the multitude of distractions that result from the task of living in a disordered world....

If when we come to prayer our hearts feel dull and unspiritual, we should not try to argue ourselves out of it. Rather, we should admit it frankly and pray our way through. Some Christians smile at the thought of "praying through," but something of the same idea is found in the writings of practically every great praying saint from Daniel to the present day. We cannot afford to stop praying till we have actually prayed.

Let me leave you with one final thought--I wonder how much time each of us really has? Only God knows for sure. But it's up to us to make the most of the time we do have and use it to serve the plans and purposes of God. We ought to pray as the psalmist prayed, "Teach us to number our days and recognize how few they are; help us to spend them as we should" (Psalm 90:12 LVB).

Amen, to all that!

think on these things...

Psalm 39:4-7 (LVB)
Lord, help me to realize how brief my time on earth will be. Help me to know that I am here for but a moment more. My life is no longer than my hand! My whole lifetime is but a moment to you. Proud man! Frail as breath! A shadow! And all his busy rushing ends in nothing. He heaps up riches for someone else to spend. And so, Lord, my only hope is in you.

Ephesians 5:15-20 (NKJV)
See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is. And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord, giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ,

"Does anybody really know what time it is? Does anybody really care?" Chicago