God’S children are expected to know and understand the times and seasons of life and pray into them. Our prayers can bring about a great change. Joshua prayed for the sun and moon to stand still when he was at war. Paul in Romans 13:11 said: “…knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake of out of sleep…” Again in Ephesians 5:16, he said: “Redeeming the time because the days are evil.” We should “know the time” and “redeem the time.” Both actions must go hand-in-hand.
Knowing the time implies discerning what time it is in God’s agenda for our family members, the church and us. On the other hand, redeeming the time requires we take steps to save time given to us; because the time is short. Time is not on our side, so, we must do what we can do now and not procrastinate.
At times, we may know the time, but lack the power to redeem it. Knowing the time is like knowing the reality of a situation. The reality of a situation may be very discouraging and lead to unbelief and doubts. Even when the situation looks irredeemable, God can still do something. When we lack the power to redeem our situation, God can step in to help us. This was the situation with Abraham and Zachariah. Abraham and Sarah had passed the season of childbearing, they lacked the power to redeem their situation, but God helped them to bring redemption.
After Abraham had hosted the Lord to a treat, the Lord said to him: “Where is Sarah your wife?” So, he said: “Here, in the tent.” And He said: “I will certainly return to you according to the time of life, and behold, Sarah your wife shall have a son.” Sarah was listening in the tent door, which was behind him, (Genesis 18:9-10 NKJV).
The Lord confirms the promise He made to Abraham in the previous chapter (Gen. 17). The Lord reveals here that there is “the time of life.” God simply spoke into the season of life and the life of Sarah was regenerated. Zechariah and Elizabeth had past the time of childbearing, but God helped them to redeem the time.
Elisha made a similar statement to the Shunammite woman. “So, he said: “Call her.” When he had called her, she stood in the doorway. Then he said: “About this time next year you shall embrace a son.” And she said: “No, my Lord. Man of God, do not lie to your maidservant!” (II Kings 4:15-16 NKJV).
Actions of faith can help us redeem the time when the odds seem to be against us. Noah redeemed the time when he began to build an ark to save his family and generation. The church can redeem the time by intentionally disciplining the children and the youths to win them over to Jesus Christ. By so doing, she will lay a solid foundation for the future.
One of the greatest enemies of redeeming time is procrastination. You become tempted to procrastinate or stop doing the things you are called to do because you are discouraged. Don’t be weary in well-doing! (Gal.6:9).
Psychologists say that, “procrastination decreases with age, with people between 14 and 29 being the most vulnerable to it. Procrastination may be situational in some cases and is higher in men than women.” This may be debatable. The other enemy of redeeming the time is laziness.
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