Today’s blog features a guest writer, author Rebecca Clayton. She unveils some of the things God has revealed to her about dominion over time. Read on!
It’s been a bit of a struggle to get this post done. I’ve been really busy lately and just never seemed to find the time, which is ironic because the subject is just that – time. Over the last few years God has been talking to me, on and off, about time. How it works, and more importantly – that He can bend it, at will.
It began around 2009. I was in church one Sunday and we were singing “How great is our God.” When we sang the line “Age to age stands, and time is in hands” God suddenly spoke to me. “Give me your time, and I will multiply it – just as I did the little boy’s lunchbox.” No sooner had I written this in my journal than the speaker got up and said, “I wasn’t going to preach on this today, but I really feel like we should talk about the feeding of the 5,000!”
Over the next few years God and I talked about this, on and off. I was kind of stuck with the mindset that what He meant by “give me your time” was to spend more time focused on Him in worship and prayer. Of course that isn’t a bad thing but the problem is, it isn’t really me. Try as I might, I’m just not the quiet, ordered contemplative type. I’m noisy and chaotic and full of new ideas. I also have three kids, a dog and a husband – time is at a bit of a premium in my life! So I kind of got stuck, thinking that I couldn’t do what God wanted – give Him more of my time.
Then about 18 months ago, something started happening. The first time was one morning. The family had all gone to work and school for the day, and I had an appointment booked to call someone at 9am sharp on ministry business. At about 8.50 am I thought I would do a couple of chores whilst I waited for the time to come. I unloaded and reloaded the dishwasher, fed the dog, wiped all the kitchen worktops down…then I got a bit carried away and folded a huge of dry laundry and put it all away upstairs. As I was finishing this I remembered about the time and glanced at the kitchen clock.
It said 8.50. I panicked because thought that the kitchen clock had stopped and I must have missed my appointment – running to the lounge I checked the clock on the mantle – only to find that that, too said 8.50am! I had completed around 30 minutes housework, but the clock had not moved. As I marveled at this, God reminded me of those words He spoke to me years before — “Well, I did say that if you gave your time, I would multiply it.”
I was floored! In that moment He stripped away layers of religiosity that I didn’t even know I had built around my thinking. Giving God your time isn’t about religious service or meditation – it’s about acknowledging His Lordship over every area of your life and letting go of your anxieties about time. Since that day I have often seen time “bend” – though so far, I have not been able to bend it when I choose. It’s as if it only happens when I’m not looking. My husband, however, made an accidental discovery recently.
One Saturday morning we decided to drive into the city for a spot of shopping. As we neared the outskirts of the city, the traffic slowed right down. It was around midday on a Saturday – so I wasn’t surprised. “And it starts” I said – being a bit gloomy. No one likes sitting in traffic. My husband corrected me.
“No, we won’t get stuck – we will have a clear run.” From that point on the traffic flowed smoothly. Not only were we in the centre no time, but there was no queue as we entered the multi-story car park – after we parked walked back past the entrance – there was a queue reaching back around fifteen cars! As we continued our day – we noticed the pattern repeating – the queue for the changing rooms in the department store somehow evaporated just at the point we needed it. When we came out a few minutes later there was again a long line of shoppers waiting to try on clothes. Similarly, throughout the day whenever we needed to go to the checkout – there was suddenly no one in line, where moments before there had been a long line – suddenly there was none.
At lunchtime when we went to a diner the waitress told us there was a ten-minute wait for a table – but was back to show us to our table within moments. My husband – who’s not one for “fluff” – was first to remark on this phenomenon we were experiencing. He firmly believes that his declaration in the car cleared the way for us as we moved around the city.
These experiences have permanently altered the way I think about time. I used to have a stock phrase in moments of stress – “I don’t have time for this.” God has been gently reminding me that in fact, I have the same amount of time as everyone else- perhaps more – it’s how I view it that counts – is it mine, or His? He has also been reminding me of the power of my declaration so if I catch myself saying, even just thinking, that do not have enough time – I quickly correct it by thanking God that He created time, and there is always enough – because time is infinite.
I’ve also been pondering this: Jesus is the lamb slain before the foundation of the world. (Rev 13:8)
As a believer, we are one spirit with the Lord. He lives in us, and we live in Him. (1 Cor 6:17, Col 1:27)
So that means… that we also exist outside of time. Which might explain how people report phenomena like being in two places at once, for example. Now, if I can just master what I am learning then my next guest post might not take so long to write. 😉
Until the next time,
Rebecca
Rebecca Clayton – AKA “The Supernatural Housewife” is an author, mother and passionate follower of Jesus. She lives in Norfolk, UK with her husband Peter, their three children and a very boisterous cross-terrier dog called Narnia. In 2009 God healed all three of her children of ADD/ADHD and ASD, and this is the subject of her first book: “When the Lion Roars”.
Her second book, “The Supernatural Housewife” is a field guide to getting started in the Supernatural Ministry of Jesus – with no complicated theology!
