What thoughts cross your mind when you think about a clock? If you’re like me, they’re probably negative, especially if it’s an alarm clock. Clocks tend to evoke feelings like, I don’t have enough time, I’m running out of time, or I’m getting older. There’s a reason the grim reaper holds an hourglass in his hand. Something about the clock makes us feel like we just don’t have enough time; yet here’s the crazy irony — clocks were actually invented to draw people to a state of rest.

Before the 11th century, there were sundials, water clocks and sand clocks, but they weren’t used too often. Then, in the medieval age, Benedictine monks wanted to be reminded of the precise time they were supposed to pray, so that as they were outside working in the fields, they knew when to stop and go to the House of the Lord, where it was cool and quiet. Thus, the clock was designed. 

Isn’t it fascinating that the purpose of the the timekeeping device that now seems to hold us captive was actually to teach us to stop working so hard, to slow down our pace, and to remember the Lord? It wasn’t until years later, when a German prince took a mechanical clock and placed it on a tower to bring all of His subjects in sync with their work schedules, that society went from being timekeepers to time-servers. Unfortunately, many of us have the same feeling in our daily lives today; we’re slaves to the clock and it nags at us.

Friend, I want to tell you that you don’t need to serve time because in Jesus, you have all the time you need. If you rest in and wait on the Lord, He’ll bring everything good into your life in due season. You can have faith, stop hurrying and watch as He does great things in your midst!