“Of the sons of Issachar who had understanding of the times, to know what Israel ought to do, their chiefs were two hundred; and all their brethren were at their command.”

I Chronicles 12:32 (NIV)

Hello there! Welcome again to my blog, and if this is your first time here, I’d like to say, “Welcome Home!”. For the past two weeks, I have written on the same subject, Understanding the Times. This will be my third and final post on this subject, hopefully. I did not think I would be writing a second post when I posted the first one two weeks ago. But here I am, on a third post. Who would have ‘thunk’ it? Anyhow, you can read the first two posts using these links: Understanding the Times and Understanding the Times 2. Now, on to the final thoughts on this subject (I hope).

I established from Scriptures that there is an appointed time for every purpose on earth, and there is a proper procedure for every purpose we set our hearts on. The reason many people’s lives are full of misery is that they do not recognize the right time and procedure for various activities in their lives. Hence, they take decisions that are not aligned with God’s agenda for their lives. Conversely, some people’s misery is the reason they miss the right time and procedure. They come under pressure to take wrong decisions and actions, thus stepping out of tune with God’s plan for them.

In I Samuel 13, Saul came under pressure to offer a burnt offering to God – something that was not his job to do – because the people were scattering away from him. That was the point when Samuel prophesied the truncation of his kingdom, all because he missed the proper time and procedure for the sacrifice. In Luke 19:42-44, Jesus prophesied the destruction of Jerusalem, and mentioned clearly that all this would happen because Israel did not know the time of their visitation. The Saviour had come but they rejected him; they wanted a different kind of Messiah.

This leads us to an important point: your ability to discern the right time and procedure for every purpose in your life is tied strongly to your mindset. Those who accurately discern the times are not moved by external circumstances. They are also open-minded to the different ways God works so long as Scriptures are not contradicted. If Saul had focused on pleasing God, and not losing the people’s allegiance, he would not have fallen out of favour with God who crowned him king. If Israel had embraced their Saviour, perhaps Jerusalem would not have been destroyed.

What else interests me greatly is God’s wisdom in restoring the times. People can miss their time or bungle their purpose by doing things wrongly at the right time, but God’s wisdom can restore times by opening another opportunity to fulfill same purpose. We call this ‘a second chance’. The divine creativity in sometimes opening doors of opportunities from our mistakes and failures is amazing! Almost as if God knew you would make a mistake. While God does not know what we will do, He knows what we can do, and is always prepared to re-route us back to destiny when go off track.

When we commit to discerning the times like the Sons of Issachar, we may make mistakes because of our human frailty: external distractions or internal biases. But we must never give up trying to discern the correct time and procedure for every activity in life. Wise people grow by consistency of efforts and learning from others. Today I challenge you to quieten your mind, listen to God and broaden your knowledge through extensive reading. Knowing what to do per time is a priceless gift in life, and those who possess it stand out in their endeavours.

I pray your eyes and ears will be open to see what God expects of you at this time, and your mind will be equipped with wisdom to do it with precision in Jesus name. Amen.