“But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well” (Matthew 6:33, NIV).

Time pressure built incredibly this last week, such that I was tense and abrupt, and I wore a band-like headache all day. I had planned to attend a mission board meeting in California and looked forward to meeting again with close friends and mission partners, focused on God’s work. My flight left at 7:30 on Friday morning. I awakened at 4 a.m. that day with the pressures of the next week overwhelming me, convinced I could not make it through the coming week if I did stay behind and use that day for catch-up. I cancelled my trip and joined the Saturday mission meeting by Zoom.

I’ve spent decades in practice and still face one enemy each day—time pressure. I may be like many normal people in this, or I may just have a personality disorder.

When God’s children were on their way to the Promised Land, He gave them manna to eat and told them to collect each day only that which they needed for the day. Some collected more and awakened to spoiled manna the next morning.

When Jesus gave us the Lord’s Prayer, He stated, “Give us this day our daily bread” (Matthew 6:11, ESV).

When He delivered His Sermon on the Mount, He told us, “…do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself” (Matthew 6:34a, NIV).

Two words come slamming into my brain as I read these passages: provision and trust. Do I trust God to provide each day all that I need for that day?

Last week, when I was stressed and could not sleep nor travel, I was storing up time pressure for the week ahead because I did not trust God to provide the time I needed day by day. I was frantically looking for extra time for tomorrow, like manna, anxious there would be no more left on the ground, afraid I could not trust God to provide in the coming days.

Polycarp served as bishop in Smyrna for many years. When the Romans came to him and demanded he denounce Christ and confess Caesar as Lord, he replied, “86 years have I served Him and He never did me any wrong. How can I now blaspheme my King who saved me?” My lack of trust for God’s provision of time is so un-Polycarpic. It’s like Satan coming to me and saying, “If you quit your trust in God’s provision of time, I will give you all the time you need”—and me replying, “72 years I have trusted God with my time, and He has always provided all I needed to accomplish His purpose for that day; but maybe this time He won’t.”

If I can trust God with my eternal life, I should be able to trust Him to grant me the time I need to complete His plans each day on this side of glory.

My emotional response to my mission meeting from a distance was interesting. For months, I had been dreading the time pressure that would build around my next mission to Albania. It had been incredibly difficult the year before. It was obvious to me I should not carry that stress again but remain at home this year. In that Zoom meeting, God clearly spoke to me with the directive to return. Since that speaking of His Spirit, I have had nothing but perfect peace over the problem of time. Go figure.

Dear Father,

Let me trust you in all things to provide.

Amen