When I lived in Santa Barbara, California, I rarely looked at the weather application on my phone. The weather in Santa Barbara was rarely too hot or too cold. If it was going to rain, I could usually tell because I could see the changes in the weather. However, ever since I moved to Sacramento, California, I always check the temperature on my phone. 

The other day, I mentioned this strange behavior to a friend of mine, checking the temperature on my phone so often. Since I thought I was being too obsessive with the weather, I was surprised when my friend told me that my behavior made sense because the weather in Sacramento is so unpredictable. 

In the book of Ether, when Queen Vashti disobeyed the King’s order to present herself to him, he asked his advisors for advice.

Since it was customary for the king to consult experts in matters of law and justice, he spoke with the wise men who understood the times (emphasis added).

Esther 1:13 (NIV)

The expression “understood the times” stood out for several reasons. I knew I had read it before somewhere in the Bible. Sure enough, it was here in 1 Chronicles 12.

From Issachar, men who understood the times and knew what Israel should do—200 chiefs, with all their relatives under their command;

1 Chronicles 12:32 (NIV)

In Esther and 1 Chronicles, the men who understood the times were politically savvy. Because of their astute awareness of the political situation, they could act accordingly and, in the case of those counselors in Esther, give sound political advice. At the same time, those men from Issachar knew that the days of Saul, as king over Israel, were over, so they joined up with David at Hebron. 

Like the weather app on my phone, which tells me the current weather and also shows me the forecast, the men from Esther served a similar role for King Xerxes. 

In the Gospel of Luke, Jesus talks about watching and predicting the weather. 

He said to the crowd: “When you see a cloud rising in the west, immediately you say, ‘It’s going to rain,’ and it does. And when the south wind blows, you say, ‘It’s going to be hot,’ and it is.

Luke 12:54-55 (NIV)

Almost 2,000 years ago, people had a pretty good grasp of interpreting the weather. However, Jesus didn’t bring up their skill at predicting the weather as a good thing. No, instead, he had this to say.

Hypocrites! You know how to interpret the appearance of the earth and the sky. How is it that you don’t know how to interpret this present time?

Luke 12:56 (NIV)

Today we do a lot of predicting, from financial experts predicting a recession to experts in sports predicting who will win the next big game. We spend a lot of time listening and trusting experts to let us know what will happen next. Yet, for all of the experts, we put our faith into to tell us what’s going to happen next, how much attention do we give to what’s happening now?

Every day, in between doing this thing or that thing, I struggle to stay present. When I’m not doing something, I find myself drifting between what I need to do next or what I have already done. 

While we should plan for things, we shouldn’t plan so much that we allow ourselves to become distracted from the present. Otherwise, we’ll miss what’s going on right now. Not just in our lives but in the world. Like looking at my phone to see what the weather will be like next week. I’m missing the beautiful day right now. If we’re going to listen to experts tell us about what’s coming, why don’t we listen to experts who tell us about the important things that are coming? Like the clergy. Better yet, why don’t we spend more time in the Bible?

The Bible talks about the things that are happening today. About wars, famines, plagues, etc. Yet, the world would rather worry about whether there’s going to be a recession or ponder who’s going to go to the Superbowl than listen to Christians talk about salvation and Jesus.

As Christians, the only time we have to spend with God is now. The only time we can hear God speak to us is right now. Thus, if we spend time thinking about yesterday or pondering tomorrow, we could miss what God is saying to us now. 

Do you know God? God knows you, and he loves you. He sees you as significant because you are. No one is insignificant to Him. He’s with you today, and he wants you to know him. Jesus died for your sins and mine so we could be free of guilt, freed from death, and live eternally with him. Eternal salvation is just a prayer away.

Pray this prayer with me to accept the gift of salvation:

Lord Jesus, forgive me for all my sins. I repent from my ways. Wash me in your blood and cleanse me from all unrighteousness. I believe that you died on the cross, were buried, and on the third day, God the Father raised you from the dead. Right now, Lord Jesus, I open the door to my heart and receive you into my heart as my Lord and personal Savior. Amen.

If you prayed that prayer, then congratulations! You are on the first step of a brand new life. Allow me to be the first to welcome you to my family, the family of God. There are abundant resources available online for new Christians. You can visit here for more information on what to do next. You can also leave me a comment, and I’ll do my best to help you on the next step of this incredible journey.

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