It has been well over two months now, that the Lord gave me a vision while in prayer, which has remained with me and also something that I knew would require patience and prayer to have the clarity that would be required. I had a vision of an antique-looking hourglass, where at first glance the sand inside seemed to have plenty of time, but upon closer inspection, I realized that time was running out because of the small crack that was no wider than a pinhole. The crack was just enough that it could not easily be detected, yet definitive enough that tiny grains of sand would fall outside of the glass container.
This vision left me feeling troubled in my spirit, and I couldn’t shake that feeling as I knew that it held a very significant meaning. The vision of the antique hourglass was all that I had originally seen. There were no words written on the frame or the glass. There were no words that I heard from the Lord. All that the vision was, was simply the hourglass losing sand, yet unnoticeable to the eye. As I prayed about it more, I began to understand what it meant.
The cracked hourglass represents the fragility and preciousness of time that we often take time for granted and assume that we have plenty of it, but in reality, our time here on earth is limited. The crack in the hourglass symbolized the unexpected events and obstacles that can come up in life and disrupt our plans. It’s easy to get caught up in our day-to-day routines and forget that time is always moving forward. We may think we have all the time in the world, but that crack reminds us that we never know when our time will run out.
When we look all around us, we will discover that many individuals have different amounts of money, different incomes, different houses, land, and cars. But we all have the same amount of time. We all only have 24 hours in every day. What are we doing with this precious gift from God? Do we carelessly allow our days, months, and years to pass us by with little or no impact on ourselves or others? Do we simply live each day in a way to discover as much pleasure as we can out of our limited time with no thought of our future, and especially the eternal future of others?
Scripture reminds us that “it is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment” (Hebrews 9:27). Do we live each day with the realization of our mortality before us? To answer that question…No! There will be many who reject this word because it does not appear to be an uplifting and soft-spoken edifying word. It comes across as too much of a warning, and people don’t want to hear words that may challenge their soft-hearted Christian lives. Well, to be clear…the vision, in my honest opinion, is a warning!
In the parable of a wealthy landowner who did well with his planting and harvesting (Luke 12:16-21), Jesus tells us that the landowner became so wealthy that he thought his future was so secure in such a way that he told himself, “Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years to come; take your ease, eat, drink and be merry”. But this man was foolish and forgot about God. The Lord told him, “You fool! This very night your soul is required of you…”. The landowner thought that he had many more years before him, but his life was unexpectedly no more as he imagined it!
According to the word of God, our life is like “a watch in the night” (Psalm 90:4), “like grass that withers” (Psalm 90:5-6), “like a sigh” (Psalm 90:9), and like “a vapor that vanishes away” (James 4:14). Our life on this earth is like “a flower of the field” (Psalm 103:115) “that falls off” (1 Peter 1:24). It is like “a mere breath” (Psalm 39:5) and like “a passing shadow” (Psalm 144:4).
Personally, my mentality is to always plan for tomorrow, yet expect nothing more than today. In other words, I must live my today as if I may never see tomorrow. Do I get everything correct and make sure that I make the most out of today… sadly I do not. I fail to do so, and it is more often than I care to acknowledge. I genuinely believe that we all live as if we can take care of it tomorrow, or we can say it tomorrow. The vision has made me realize how important it is to make the most of the time we have. We can’t control how much time we have, but we can control how we spend it. Instead of wasting our time on meaningless moments, we should use it to pursue the Glory of God, strengthen our relationships with one another and within the Body of Christ, and make a genuine impact on the world through the equipping and advancing of the Kingdom.
Today many in the Body of Christ are living their lives as if they will have another 20-30 years to do the things for the Lord that they have only dreamed of. Many are putting off challenging conversations because they are convinced that “in time” it will work itself out. The vision is a warning. We do not know how much longer we have on this earth. Yes, we can always plan for tomorrow, yet none of us can guarantee that we shall see tomorrow. The vision is an alert to the Body of Christ to wake up and do the work of the Kingdom, for the time that we think that we have is not what it appears to be. The vision is a call to recognize that our time is significant whether we see the fullness of what God is always doing or not. We must be willing to walk by faith, not by sight. The vision isn’t to bring a spirit of fear upon anyone, so we rebuke that attack now in the name of Jesus. However, the vision is to awaken the fear of the Lord within us to see that the work of the Kingdom must be active now and not later.
I want to encourage you to go back and read Ecclesiastes chapter 3. There is a lesson for us in this chapter so that we live our lives within time, and we learn to make our choices in life within time. However, to make the best of life, we must recognize that God is sovereign all of the time. His rulership, His dominion, and His sovereignty, over time, will never be complacent. The Lord oversees what happens within time, all the time. His relationship with His own is very personal, making His calling personal and individual for each one of us. The Lord has divine appointments that He set before the foundation of the world. They will be accomplished within an already set time. His purpose will also include what He desires to accomplish in and through us. A reality that we all must face is that time is always moving, and the truth is, that time is running out for all of us.
This fact is not intended to make us feel a sense of desperation without hope. God is so perfect and dominant over His creation and labors that He always has enough time. We, though, do not, which is a fact that God always takes into consideration as He works through us. We can deal with this truth in our relationship with Him.
“Be careful how you walk, not as unwise men but as wise, making the most of your time, because the days are evil”
—Ephesians 5:15-16
Are you making the most of your time here? Are you piling up riches on earth and living as though there was no tomorrow? I urge you to look at your life and see yourself as God sees you. The cracked hourglass is a powerful reminder that time is a precious commodity that we should never take for granted. It’s easy to get caught up in our busy lives and forget that time is always moving forward. The crack in the hourglass symbolizes the unexpected events and obstacles that can come up in life and disrupt our plans. Be willing to repent of all your sins and renounce any of your selfishness, and/or idolatry. Turn away from all disobedience before God and begin to live for Jesus the Lord (2 Corinthians 5:14-15). If we use our time wisely and make the most of every moment, we can live a life that truly matters for the Glory of the Lord!