At 3 in the Afternoon

 

My life often seems run by a clock.  Be here at 5:45.  Have that done by 1:00.  Will a meeting at 11:15 work?  We can’t get you in until 6:30.  It will have to be at 10:00.  Life by a clock!  I am adding things to my calendar based on the time necessary to make it happen.  I have a clock on my phone, in my car, on my wrist, on the oven, on the wall, by my bed, on the microwave, and on my computer.  Time is constantly being tracked.  However, the Bible has very few specific references to time on a clock.  When I see these references, they catch my attention.

 

One particular time I have noticed and has popped up here recently—three in the afternoon.  I don’t know about you, but three in the afternoon is an awkward time for me.  A lull hits as the big things are done for the day and yet it isn’t close to over.  My spark has sputtered, my focus is waning and I desperately need some redirecting to finish what is before me.  I feel it is too late to take a nap, although I am longing for one.  It is too early to make dinner and prepare to slow down for the evening.  It just doesn’t sit well with me—that three in the afternoon time.

 

In the Bible, there are a couple of interesting things that happen at three in the afternoon.    In the first story, Peter and John are on their way to the temple, for the time of prayer—at three in the afternoon.  Nothing seems out of the ordinary as it is just what they usually do at this time.  What unfolds is anything but ordinary.  A man, lame since birth, is sitting by the temple gate and he calls out for money.  The men look straight at him, ask for his attention and he complies with their request.  Through this simple act of engagement, his life is forever changed.  Peter speaks, “In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk (Acts 3:6).”  He is lame no more!

 

In another story, we meet a centurion with the Italian regiment, who is a devout, God-fearing man, gives to the needy and prays regularly.  In this particular story, he is taken by a vision at about three in the afternoon.  Through this vision, he sees an angel of God and hears specific instructions to send for a man named Peter who is staying in Joppa.  When the angel departs, he immediately sends his servants to Joppa.  As the story progresses, the servants fetch Peter and he comes to meet with the Centurion.  Through his obedience to the directives of the angel of God and Peter’s willingness to heed the teaching of the Spirit, the Gospel reaches to gentiles for the first time (Acts 10:1-48).  Salvation has bridged the gap!

 

I don’t know about you, but I am rarely looking for miracles to happen at three in the afternoon.  Maybe we should be more expectant.  I could allow God to order my time how it suits Him rather than be controlled by the clock.  If we surrender our time to God…the minutes and hours of our days…we might just see some amazing things happen.  If we keep doing what we have always done, we may never know!