No Better Time

I was recently looking for a job after relocating to a new country. After submitting many applications, one company responded positively.

An interview was arranged for the next day at 8:00 A.M., but I would need to travel at least an hour to get to the interview on time. I made sure to set the alarm to wake me up by 6:00 A.M. The alarm rang at the set time, but my body did not respond.

As the alarm kept switching to snooze, I thought I still had time to sleep a little more. When I finally roused, it was 7:30 A.M., far too late to make it in time for the interview. In short, I lost the opportunity I had longed for so badly. I learned a vital lesson that morning: the best time to wake up to an alarm is just after it has sounded.

A minute later may be too late. Acts 16 tells of the ordeal Paul and Silas went through on their missionary journey to Macedonia. Paul wished to go to Asia, but the Holy Spirit forbade them. In a night vision, Paul saw a man from Macedonia fervently requesting they come over to Macedonia. Paul could not miss God’s voice directing them to where they were needed most. He immediately set sail with Silas, stopping first in Philippi, where they baptized Lydia and her household. They faced many trials and were ultimately stripped, beaten, and put in stocks in the most secure part of the prison. Why did the Holy Spirit lead Paul and Silas into a situation where He knew they would face such an ordeal? God knew He could trust them.

In their anguish, they “prayed, and sang praises unto God” (Acts 16:25, KJV). What faith! God responded with an earthquake that shook the foundation of the prison, flinging open all the doors. Before the night was over, the jailer and his household became believers. Paul and Silas knew there was no better time to pray and sing praise to Him who has saved us than when all the alarm bells of a broken world are tolling loudest. Jesus is coming soon—there is no better time for us to share our faith. Jesus encourages us, “Now when these things begin to happen, look up and lift up your heads, because your redemption draws near” (Luke 21:28, NKJV). Can you hear the alarm bells ringing?

Mary Opoku-Gyamfi