Watching the Clock

Watching the clock. The minutes ticking by. Slowly. The hours, they don't seem to make any movement. There goes one hour, but it must have taken more than 60 minutes to pass. It seemed more like 120 minutes. Or more. Why is time going so slowly? Why can't time speed up?

Watching the clock. It comes to us at many times. Late at night, while we wait for morning. Eyes open when they should be closed. Waiting. Watching. Wondering when the long hours of the night will be over. Yesterday was a mess. Today will be a start to a new day. Maybe it will be better. Yesterday was a good day. I don't look forward to today because... Watching the clock.

Sitting at the desk. Watching the clock. When will this shift be over? Can it go much slower? Sitting in the classroom. Listening to the teacher drone on and on. Why does that second seem to have stopped? Am I in an episode of the Twilight Zone? Has time stopped? Will it ever start up again?

You have been there. I have been there. Often the situation is difficult. Something is going on. Pain. Physical pain. Mental pain. Spiritual pain. It doesn't matter. It is still pain. And pain seems to make the clock stop moving. We long for the night to be over because there is the hope that in the daylight there will be relief. Maybe. We hope. We pray.

Watching the clock. And while we watch, the Lord watches over us. We might forget that. It might slip away from us because of what we are facing but it is true. The Lord is there. Holding us in His hand. He is there to comfort us, assure us, help us, lead us through whatever it is that is making the clock stop. "I will not leave, nor forsake you," the Lord promises. "I will be with you always," He says to you.

When you are in that situation, turn away from the clock. Look to the Word, the Savior, the One who is there for you. Trust that He will continue to lead you, to help you. The Holy Spirit, the Comforter, knows what you need. He is praying for you even as you don't know what to say. He is taking You to the very throne of the Almighty, the One who made you.

Know this. God is with you, even in those ticking minutes. He is still holding you. Will the pain leave? Will health return? Will sleep come? Will the shift be over? Those I cannot answer. Will God be with me? That I can answer with a resounding "YES!" That is not my word. It is His promise.

And God has never broken a promise.