“Get insurance with God and do a good deed, settle down and stick to your last. Keep company with God, get in on the best. Open up before God, keep nothing back; he’ll do whatever needs to be done: He’ll validate your life in the clear light of day and stamp you with approval at high noon. Quiet down before God, be prayerful before him.” (Psalm37:3-7 The Message Bible)
Tuesday night, one my all-time favorite old movies came on, “Spartacus.” Yes, it’s long, three-hours to be exact. But I love it! However, you knew it was coming didn’t you, the structure of the film included more than just a great story, but it incorporated an “Overture,” an “Intermission,” and an “Entr’acte.” When I was younger, I loved the “Intermission” segment while the film operator changed reels. You could go get some popcorn, soda, or go to the restroom. As far as the “Entr’acte,” I seldom waited to exit. The exception being that it was a tear-jerker, and I did not want to reveal my softer side. The “Overture,” a segment that seemed much too long disappeared in the 1970’s. Yes, in everything, give thanks!
As I sat in the bed with a modest portion of popcorn, “Spartacus” begin. It consisted on a long period, minutes of watching the same picture while an orchestra played theme music for the film. Watching the same picture, staring at it, glues to the screen, glazing at the picture, giving ear to the well-compose music, I hoped that it would go away quickly so I could see the movie. To me, just my opinion, initially, it was merely wasted time.
After a few minutes though, I realized that “waiting time does not have to be wasted time.” I could have gone and did a number of things while I was waiting, beneficial things. I could have checked the doors to see if they were locked, looked downstairs to see if all was well, or even labored lightly and put a load of laundry in the washing machine. Afterall, the movie would last three hours. Washing and drying a load of clothes would take less than two hours. The point again, “waiting time does not have to be wasted time.”
It’s Thursday, and hopefully you are waiting for the main feature of the week to show (play on words), show up. Yes, I am referring to Sunday, the Lord’s Day. You may be waiting on the Lord to answer the prayer you prayed some time ago and you are trying to do your best to wait on the Lord. But listen my friend, while you are waiting, make the most of your time. Study the word of God. Pray to the Lord above and if you start thanking Him personally for what He has done for you, your time on your quiet place, and sometimes dark place, similar to a movie theater, you will have a segment longer than an “Overture.” Perhaps you can take an “Intermission:” where you stop focusing on you and start to focus on others. Still there is the possibility you might have to have an “Entr’acte” where you exit from your departure off the straight and narrow path and get back on the narrow path of righteousness, being positively productive as you carry out the purpose God has precisely left you here to fulfill.
Please don’t just get the point this morning but get to acting out (another play on words) the point made from a kingdom building perspective: This is not “movie stuff” but “real life stuff!” The point: “Waiting time does not have to be wasted time.” Be blessed!
“Jesus said to them, “The times and occasions are set by my Father’s own authority, and it is not for you to know when they will be. But when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, you will be filled with power, and you will be witnesses for me in Jerusalem, in all of Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” After saying this, he was taken up to heaven as they watched him, and a cloud hid him from their sight. They still had their eyes fixed on the sky as he went away, when two men dressed in white suddenly stood beside them and said, “Galileans, why are you standing there looking up at the sky? This Jesus, who was taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way that you saw him go to heaven.” (Acts 1:7-11 The Good News Translation)
Mark L. King