Learning Not To Be A Slave To My Schedule

Lord, You have been our dwelling place in all generations. Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever You had formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, You are God. You turn man to destruction, and say, “Return, O children of men.” 

For a thousand years in Your sight are like yesterday when it is past, and like a watch in the night. You carry them away like a flood; they are like a sleep. In the morning they are like grass which grows up: In the morning it flourishes and grows up; in the evening it is cut down and withers. 

For we have been consumed by Your anger, and by Your wrath we are terrified. You have set our iniquities before You, our secret sins in the light of Your countenance. For all our days have passed away in Your wrath; we finish our years like a sigh. The days of our lives are seventy years; and if by reason of strength they are eighty years, yet their boast is only labor and sorrow; for it is soon cut off, and we fly away. Who knows the power of Your anger? For as the fear of You, so is Your wrath. 

So teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom. Return, O Lord! How long? And have compassion on Your servants. Oh, satisfy us early with Your mercy, that we may rejoice and be glad all our days! Make us glad according to the days in which You have afflicted us, the years in which we have seen evil. 

Let Your work appear to Your servants, and Your glory to their children. And let the beauty of the Lord our God be upon us, and establish the work of our hands for us; Yes, establish the work of our hands.

~Prayer of Moses ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭90‬:‭1‬-‭17‬

There are some mornings when I’m so burdened by my schedule that when the alarm goes off at 5:15 a.m., I want to stay in bed. I’m tired before my feet hit the floor! When I wake up like this, my first prayer is “Lord, give me strength and help me remember that my time isn’t MINE—it is YOURS. May I remember the prayer of Moses. You have given me this day and the privilege of doing the work of YOUR Almighty hands by YOUR timing. Establish the work of my hands. Thank you, Lord!”  

When I exercise the discipline to reset my mind—and place God in charge of my schedule—I have great peace no matter how hectic my plan seems. God will use my time wisely if I let Him. Time is the one commodity we never get back. Each minute is arguably more precious than gold. Yet, God has all the time in the world. He can accomplish more in one day than we can accomplish in a thousand years. When we have this perspective, then the “big court case” in a couple of hours isn’t a reason to rush through our Bible reading and prayer time. We place it all in God’s hands and do what HE says is important—like engaging in prayer and putting on our armor for the spiritual warfare ahead.

God gives us the tools to live with His mind, in His attitudes, and by His power; He is never a slave to time.

So if God is NOT ruled by time…should WE be? You may say “I MUST be ruled by my schedule, because if I’m not, I can’t feed my family.” While it is true that most of us have to live by a schedule, we do NOT have to be enslaved by our schedule. My friend, enslavement is NOT God’s plan for your life! You were NOT created for a schedule to rule your life. An insane schedule is just self-imposed tyranny!

So, if you are feeling crushed by your schedule, then take a minute and think about—WHY? What is keeping the whip to your back? Perhaps it’s time to consider who or what you are making the master in your life. For example, I ask myself:

~If I am too busy for my quiet time with God every morning, I have chosen my master.

~If I am too busy for church, I have chosen my master.

~If I am too busy for the poor, or people who need Christ, I have chosen my master.

~If I am too busy for my family, I have chosen my master.

~If I am too busy to pray throughout the day, I have chosen my master.

And the list goes on. But—when we choose to live according to God’s Word and make Jesus the Master of our life, He promised: 

“[S]eek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.” ‭Matthew‬ ‭6:33‬

God doesn’t need us to keep a hectic schedule in order to bless us with everything we need; He needs our heart.

I can tell you from personal experience that when I make God the Master and Commander of my life, I become more effective and more efficient in ALL that I do. I do MORE with LESS time and—I do it BETTER. Psalm 90 reminds me to “number my days, that [I] may gain a heart of wisdom. Oh, satisfy [me] early with Your mercy, that [I] may rejoice and be glad all [my] days!” 

Sure, you can have a schedule; but let God lead you in making it and keeping it. Give His Spirit the flexibility to change it. It’s always better that way! When God leads our day, He transforms everything about it. In fact, many times we will barely recognize we’re living by a schedule. It becomes merely the framework for a much larger adventure. God is not limited by my “to do” list. When I’m paying attention to Him—He sorts everything out. 

“Heavenly Father, I give you my life—every hour. Guide every decision I make today for Your glory.”