Every
year when May rolls around in Michigan, I want to stop the clock. I rejoice
when death is defeated by fragile sprouts that refuse to be confined by
hardened clay and brittle branches. Over a few weeks, the naked landscape
transforms into fully clothed trees adorned by bright, fragrant flowers. I
can’t get enough of the sights, sounds, and scents of springtime. I want time
to stop moving.
Also in
May, I come to 1 Kings in my Bible reading schedule. When I get to chapter 10,
I have the same feeling: I want the story to stop. The nation of Israel has
bloomed. Solomon has become king and has built a magnificent dwelling place for
God, who moved in with a blaze of glory (8:11). Finally united under a
righteous king, they are at peace. I love happy endings!
But the
story doesn’t end there. It continues: “But King Solomon loved many foreign
women” (11:1), and “his wives turned his heart after other gods” (v.4).
Just as the seasons of the year continue, so do the cycles of life—birth and death, success and failure, sin and confession. Although we have no power to stop the clock while we’re enjoying good times, we can rest in God’s promise that eventually all bad times will end (Rev. 21:4).
