This Day

I finished reading a book last night by Mesu Andrews called Isaiah’s Daughter.  It was a fictional book based on the story of King Hezekiah in the bible.  The bible tells how Hezekiah was ill and to the point of death.  The prophet Isaiah had been sent by God to give him the message to put his house in order because he was going to die and not recover.  After receiving the message, he turned his face to the wall and prayed to the Lord and wept bitterly.

 

Before Isaiah had left the court, the word of the Lord came to him telling him to go back to Hezekiah and tell him:  “I have heard your prayer and seen your tears; I will heal you.  I will add fifteen years to your life.”  Other promises were also given including delivering the city from an invading nation.

 

In the book, Isaiah’s Daughter, it was interesting to read this account from the wife’s perspective.  In the book she had been unable to have a child and part of the promise was that there would be a descendant.  In the bible King Hezekiah’s son, Manasseh became king at age twelve.  So he was born during the fifteen years that had been promised.

 

Imagine his wife having a promised son and all the excitement that goes with having a child, but at the same time knowing that the clock was ticking on her husband’s life.  She would finally have a son, but she would lose her husband.  In the book she said to her husband, “I thought I was finished enduring the struggle for this promise.  Now, I must war with my faith again.”  His response was, “Faith is a battle we fight everyday, my love.”  “Come, tell me the promise so I can pick up my sword and battle with you.”

 

As Tracy and I were talking over dinner he said he had heard these words several times in the last few days, “If today was your last day, what would you do with it?”  King Hezekiah’s response was that he prayed and wept bitterly and he had been giving fifteen years, not just one day.  Tracy said he definitely wouldn’t be watching TV, which is where he heard the words, but he said it was making him think about things that he misses out on at times.

 

I had been thinking about this on a much smaller scale myself.  Lately I’ve been in my home office when I have my devotional time in the mornings.  But the other day I paused by the living room, while waiting for my coffee and saw all the beautiful Christmas decorations and thought, I’m missing this.  So I decided to move into the living room and now I get to take in a bit of Christmas each day while it lasts.

 

I started thinking about my day and began to wonder how much of it I miss out on by simply not paying attention to what is already there.  I don’t have to take on big questions like “what if today was your last day, what would you do?”  That question implies that you would drastically change your actions for 24 hours and possibly be doing it out of fear or guilt.  I don’t think that’s any better than missing out in the first place.  There has to be a simpler approach to making the most out of life.

 

Then I asked myself a different question, “what’s going on in the waiting times of my day and am I making the most of that time?”  We all have them, waiting for coffee to brew, waiting in check out lines, waiting on hold, waiting for an appointment, waiting for _______ (fill in the blank).  We spend a lot of time waiting each day and what do we do with that time?  Yes, a lot of the time I try to multitask, but there are still moments that even that’s not possible and I find myself waiting.

 

So the next morning I woke up, turned on the Christmas lights, took our dog outside and while waiting for her to do her business, I looked up at the sky and saw His lights.  The moon was brightly shining and there were still some stars in the sky.  The lights reflected off the snow and frost had made beautiful designs on the deck door.  I usually miss all that because I’m hoping the dog won’t take too long and I want to get back inside out of the cold and get going with my day.

 

Those few minutes were beautiful, peaceful gifts from God.  I would have been outside anyway and He gave me an opportunity to see more, to be in awe of His artistry and to say, “Good morning God!” all without taking one single second from my scheduled day.  It was so exciting that I decided to try it at work.  I turned on the radio to a Christmas channel and we enjoyed soft background music all day while waiting on hold with airlines and hotels as we made reservations.  It was quiet enough not to interfere with our work and it actually created a more joyful environment as we commented on past memories, favorite songs and even hummed along once in awhile.

 

Unlike King Hezekiah, we don’t know how many years we have left and I wouldn’t want to know if I could.  We’ve been in a situation where we were told that our son only had a few months to live and that is a very tough place to be.  You try your hardest to make memories to hold on to and at the same time each day has a fear that the end is coming to quickly.  It’s a place that I wouldn’t wish on anyone.

 

Each day is a gift and it’s true that at any moment we could be called home without warning.  Wouldn’t it be great when that day comes and we meet Jesus face to face, we can say, “Thank you for this day and that day and those moments and time to see You in the waiting.  Life with You was a Great Adventure!”

 

My prayer

Micah 7:7 – But as for me, I will look to the Lord; 

 I will wait for the God of my salvation; my God will hear me

 

Father, I’m so grateful that my time is in Your hands.  You have all my days written in Your book before any of them came into being and I have no need to worry about the what if’s and whens.  You are in control and in the waiting you have provided more than I can even imagine.  Open my eyes to see Your works, Your people, Your hand in my life.  Thank you for This Day!  Amen

 

Where does my help come from?

 

Psalm 118:24 (NLT)

 “This is the day the Lord has made. We will rejoice and be glad in it.”

 

Psalms 8:3 (Passion Translation)

“Look at the splendor of your skies,
    your creative genius glowing in the heavens.
    When I gaze at your moon and your stars,
    mounted like jewels in their settings,
    I know you are the fascinating artist who fashioned it all!”