I must work the works of Him who sent Me while it is day; the night is coming when no one can work.
John 9:4 NKJV
The bible invites us in Ecclesiastes 3 to understand something. There’s a Divine arrangement which no man can alter, and this must take place at its respective time. The passage, from The Message translation opens this way: “There’s an opportune time to do things, a right time for everything on the earth”. The sun will not swap its timing for the moon, neither can a man die before he is born. Everything has been planned and it must happen accordingly. There is a set time for every work.
Therefore, we see our Lord Jesus, He had a full understanding of the time for His ministry. He did not fail to call the disciples into order which resulted in action. We hear the Lord say that there is a ‘day period’ in our lives, and it is for working. No wonder it was said with a certainty of necessity. For He says: “I must work”. The same is true of every disciple of the Lord Jesus Christ, we must work while it is day. While our strength is at its best, while the sun shines clearly for us to see. It would be a grave mistake to fail to utilize the day for what it was originally meant for – working.
However, while we may want to just settle for any work thinking all that matters is to work. We see that the Lord was very particular and intentional in His words about the kind of work we must do. It is “the works of Him who sent Me”. It thus appears to me that as good as it is for me to do what I’m passionate about, if it is not ‘the works of Him who sent me’, then I’m not yet doing the right thing.
While I may be busy with my career and the likes, the reality is that I cannot afford to leave the works of Him unattended to. I must be busy with His business too. There must be a continuance in doing the works He has prepared for me even before I came to being. I must also add that I am where I am because He has sent me here. And it is with a definite work to do.
Likewise, I must realize that ‘the day’ will not last forever. The night is coming, and it will surely come, then no man can work. In its simplest form, the reality is that I cannot have more than 24 hours in a day. Even if I decide not to sleep, there’s a limit to which I can stay awake. I should not forget that in the case of work that involves others (which is the situation most of the time) I cannot decide how they should use their night.
More importantly, night is coming. The zeal and passion I may have does not matter. When night falls, the working period is over. There is the night of old age, and the night (death) is neither inevitable. Therefore, we are to work the works of Him who has sent us as long as it is day.
