The Clock in the Sitting Room

I stay near the church I pray from on Sundays. This particular Sunday, I woke up 15 minutes to 8am. Service starts at 9am. I skedaddled. I had to do the dishes, and trust me, I was very very fast! Notwithstanding, I passed by the sitting room clock at home. It displayed the time as 8:25am. I needed another 30 minutes to finish.

Miraculously, my aunty told me to abandon the dishes to get ready for church. “I’ll finish them.” She said. I sprinted to the bathroom and got ready. My proximity to the church kept me in constant wait of my lateness indicators. The sitting room clock was 9am sharp. But nothing in the environment had changed.

When I’m late, I can hear the music from church. It was still. I was so inquisitive. I went on to check on my phone’s actual time. It was 8:45. I checked my cousin’s phone clocks as well. They displayed the same. It was the sitting room clock that was faulty!

I remembered to breathe, taking my time to reach church but not as hasty as I had been.

Amidst that transit, God told me something. He said, “Not every clock is showing your time”

He meant to say, that even if the sitting room clock showed 9, (and had been faulty or tampered with by someone), it didn’t mean it was the true time … though whoever looked at it without a private check with their phone, took it as truth.

Immediately, the lesson took a dive. God told me, “Just because it is marriage TIME for your classmate, doesn’t mean that that same time is your true time for marriage.”

We all have to do a private check with God’s book about us. I’m not talking about the Bible. There’s a book about each of us, and we have to read it or discern it, to know what time is meant for what! Here’s reference of that book;

Psalms 139:16 Your eyes saw my unformed substance, and in Your book all the days [of my life] were written before ever they took shape, when as yet there was none of them.

I believe (just like am an author), God has written each of our lives in chapters. Perhaps your marriage happens in chapter 30 of your life book written by God, and that of your other friend happens in their 25th chapter. Don’t be foolish to force your way … trying to pull it upfront, comparing the two.

I know there’s a place for ‘satisfy us early with your mercy,’ but what if He’s still teaching you and putting to death what needs to be, before you get into marriage, before you become CEO, before you have that child, before you start that ministry, and whatsoever else there is…

We also need to be careful when everyone’s clock is showing the same, and yet ours is showing something completely different. This is now no longer about chronological time, but time of purpose! I’ve heard God tell me the age I’m supposed to marry. I agreed to it. And it’s been many years since I’ve known that age. It’s only one prophetess I once prayed with who said that exact age.

At church, there was a season in 2021 when the grace of marriage was abundant. Many got wedded. Suddenly, a young lady came and told me ‘I see you get married next year. Receive this word with open arms.’

I laughed sarcastically, because there was no inner witness. In fact, my heart got so anxious because there are things God said must happen before I’d marry. None of them has happened. And this is an example for all of us to be keen, at what our time for specific events is.

Refuse to succumb to the pressure. Let God continue to mold you and prepare you for that specific purpose. David is believed to have been anointed at 17 to be king. He didn’t access the throne or the office of kingship until he was 30! Thirteen years he waited, in service of the king then. God prepared him a lot, until he was ready.

Are you ready?

This generation’s problem is they don’t want the process. They only want the end result. But how will you show up to harvest, without having showed up to sow, to water, to mulch, to prune, to thin or to weed? You’d perhaps be the tree with feet. You expect to bear fruit, without ever coming to the vinedresser to be pruned or watered!

I know God can do it quick! But in case He doesn’t, who are you to tell Him to quicken it? If He wanted all things quick, then He wouldn’t have placed the fruit of patience as one of the fruits of His very Spirit!

Some stuff are going to take longer than you expect. I’m sure one of David’s brothers mocked him during those 13 years saying stuff like,

‘Yo…Mighty King…it’s been 10 years since you were anointed, why are you still coming back home? Did God forget what He did? We thought you’d have moved to the palace now! Aren’t you supposed to be eating like whole sheep and bulls? And not just morsels at home.’

It must have been tough. Must have been the same for Abraham as well. But your faith has to be tested—your trust in God too! Unless God gives you the pen, don’t take matters in your hands. You’ll come back crushing and He’ll be forced to sit down, rethink how it’ll all work for your good. . .but also you’ll have to deal with the consequences, the scars of your impatience and God will have to soothe your broken pieces, to stitch them back as you continue to cry like a baby.

Trust in Him with ALL your heart. Lean not on your own understanding! And know, there’s purpose in every and for every waiting!

This waiting shouldn’t however be applied for the wrong things. I hope not to hear anyone say ‘I’m waiting for the time God wishes to heal me from this cancer.’ That’s the enemy who’s come to steal kill and destroy in your life. There God has given you the pen. He said ‘You’d trample over snakes and scorpions.’ He said in His name you’d cast out devils. He said the sign of healing would follow you.

Today’s is for the beautiful things we wish to have but seem to be delayed. Not for the ugly things we wish to be gone. If everyone’s clock shows ‘time to die…’ Refuse it! Don’t conform to just anytime. Settle on your heart when you must die, according to God’s word (He’s given you plenty of guidelines)

Do that private check with His timing. Only when His timing says ‘yes’, and the thing hasn’t manifested yet should you engage the warrior in you, to shift you into the reality of the timing you ought to be.

If not, let patience have its perfect work…

…that you maybe perfect & complete, lacking nothing. (James 1:3)