(March 03, 2025) Dr Jim McClure shares— and challenges…

Sixty-two years ago Dr Who stepped out of a telephone kiosk that was actually a fictional time machine called Tardis.  Since then multiple episodes of the science-fiction TV series have been broadcast with many different characters portraying Dr Who.

Do you ever wonder what it would be like to travel through time?  There are no time-travel machines in existence so we have no opportunity to take a trip 100 years into the future or 1000 years into the past, however we are all actually ‘time-travellers’! 

In fact, we are travelling through time right now! From one day to the next we travel through time! From one Christmas to the next we travel through time!

I was reflecting recently on what the Bible says about time and realised that it is a topic that is frequently referred to. In fact it is a major biblical theme as it encapsulates our human existence and the outworking of God’s plan with and for humanity.  As ‘time-travellers’ the experiences we have largely depend on the role God plays in our journey. 

One of the most perceptive passages in the Bible regarding time is Ecclesiastes 3:1-8—

‘There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven:
a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot,
a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build,
a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance,
a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them, a time to embrace and a time to refrain,
a time to search and a time to give up, a time to keep and a time to throw away,
a time to tear and a time to mend, a time to be silent and a time to speak,
a time to love and a time to hate, a time for war and a time for peace.’

It is interesting to note that the writer of Ecclesiastes used the word ‘time’ 40 times! The inference here is that everything in the universe is time-bound and is under the authority of Almighty God. The writer (commonly identified as an elderly Solomon) looked back over his life and reflected on its intricacies, and recognised that the common thread in all those various experiences in the universe was ‘time’—‘There is a time for everything.’

We recognise time as having three dimensions— past, present and future— and while we live in the present, we remember past experiences and make plans for the future.

Time Dimensions of ‘Living by Faith’
The prophet Habakkuk lived at a violent time in history.

The northern Kingdom of Israel had been totally destroyed by the Assyrians about 100 years earlier and Habakkuk saw that in his own nation, Judah, idolatry was present, injustice thrived and moral failure was increasing. The threat of destruction of Judah at the hands of the Babylonians was very real. Against this background of instability God told Habakkuk to write down the words, ‘The righteous will live by his faith’ (Habakkuk 2:4).

That phrase is repeated three times in the New Testament— Romans 1:17, Galatians 3:11 and Hebrews 10:38. ‘Living by faith’ means acknowledging God’s guidance in the past (even if we were not aware of it at the time), trusting God in the present andliving each day with His involvement and placing our confidence in Him for the future.

A Journey Through Time 
(i) Looking at the past
When we were young, we probably did not give much time in thinking about the past. It is what was happening at the present that was so important to us and, of course, the future events such as birthdays, Christmas and holidays are all exciting things to look forward to.

But as we grow older, we begin to see the past in a different way. Various experiences we had, good and bad, will long remain in our memories.  Some of the things we said and did we now regret but there were other events that we reflect on with glad memories.

As a Christian I recognise God’s hand on events that I had not, at the time, recognised— things I have done, places to which I have gone, things I have said to others and that others have said to me were significant milestones that at the time may have seemed unimportant.  Certainly, as I reflect on my life I recognise God’s unseen presence guiding and prompting me, I am overwhelmingly grateful.

So I sincerely thank God for His role in giving me my wife Jean, and our children, for opening doors for ministry in various countries, and for abundantly blessing me in so many ways— even at times when I was not aware of it.  God has been my ‘unseen’ (and, I confess, my ‘unrecognised’) partner who guided me on my journey.

The book of Esther relates the exciting and marvellous story of God’s providential care and deliverance of the Jews who had been deported from their homeland both before and following the Babylonian destruction of Jerusalem in 586 BC.  When Persia conquered the Babylonians, Cyrus the Great gave the Jews permission to return to Judah.  A surprising thing about the book of Esther is that God is not mentioned once—  but throughout the entire story it is evident that He was very involved! God’s hand can be seen moving and working behind the scenes.

At times it is good to look back and recognise how God has been with us, forgiving us, helping us, blessing us and guiding us on our life’s journey.

(ii) Living in the Present                 
Let me tell you something amazing about God—

He is here, He is there, He is everywhere at the same time!  Sometimes we are aware of His presence but often we are not… however the reality of His presence has nothing to do with how we feel!  God wants us to know that He is always with us in our journey through life. But that doesn’t mean that we won’t take wrong turnings or hit roadblocks!

Being a Christian does not mean that ‘We are happy all the day, singing all the way!’   Of course, there are good times to celebrate but sometimes the bad times push their way into our lives and bring disruption and distress.  Nevertheless, of this we can be sure— whatever we are going through, God is with us!  That is the often-repeated promise that is found in the Bible. 

The psalmist affirmed his confidence in  God’s abiding presence, ‘I am always with you; you hold me by my right hand. You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will take me into glory’ (Psalm 73:23-24). 

I find great comfort and encouragement in the promise of Jesus just before His ascension.  He did not promise His disciples that everything would be great for them in the future nor that every day would be filled with success and contentment. History tells us that shortly after His ascension, life was very difficult for the first Christians who suffered enormous persecution and a great many of them were cruelly martyred. However, this is what Jesus did promise, ‘I am with you always, to the very end of the age’ (Matthew 28:20).  Wherever you go, He is with you!  Whatever you do, He is with you!

He is with us when—

• We experience times of sickness and sorrow.
• We find life to be a struggle.
• Things are going well.
• We are worshipping Him and praising His name.
• (And He is also with us when…) We do things that we know we should not be doing!

2000 years after His ascension Jesus’ promise still holds true!  He will never break His word! He is always with us!   He rejoices with us in the ‘good times’ and is our refuge in the ‘bad times’.  At every stage of our life and through every experience, Jesus is with us!

That is what King David, who knew all about the changing experiences of life, was able to declare, ‘O my Strength, I sing praise to you; you, O God, are my fortress, my loving God’ (Psalm 59:17).

He is with us now!

(iii) Leaning into the Future
The future lies before us and, despite our future plans, we do not know what tomorrow may bring.  Changes in many things will affect all of us.  For some those future changes will be exciting and productive but for others there will be struggle and loss.  We make plans for the future but we have no control over it.  That is the stark reality that we face. 

Nationally and internationally we are living at a very unsettled time The simple act of watching television or reading the news can be very disturbing.  Each day seems to add to the stress.

Jesus told His disciples that before His return corruption and pain would increase and, regrettably,  some ‘End-Times’ preachers have exploited this topic!

However, despite the present and forthcoming ‘dark days’ that are ahead and while it would be quite wrong to minimise the biblical warnings of serious times ahead, in faith we can lean into the future with hope and joyful expectation!

Jesus made this promise to His disciples, ‘Do not let your hearts be troubled …  I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am’ (John 14:1,3).  And  Paul expressed it in this way: ‘We wait for the blessed hope— the glorious appearing of our great God and Saviour, Jesus Christ’ (Titus 2:13).  The Greek word translated as ‘blessed’ may be translated as ‘happy’ and the Greek word translated as ‘hope’ may be better understood as ‘confident expectation.’   So this verse may be translated, ‘We wait for the happy expectation— the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ.’

Living by faith means so much more than trusting God for what lies ahead.  It means that we can lean into the future with this ‘happy expectation’ that the day is coming when our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ will return and call us to Himself and then we shall forever be with the Lord.

The hymn by Ira Stanphill affirms: 
‘Many things about tomorrow,
I don’t seem to understand;
But I know who holds tomorrow,
And I know who holds my hand.’

 

Do you know who holds your hand?
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Dr Jim McClure, author of several books and Bible studies, offers them free in electronic version in EPUB, Kindle and PDF formats.Particularly recommended— Looking for Answers in a Confusing World

Questions seeking enlightenment on biblical perspectives are welcomed. Link: jbmcclure@gmail.com.
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