If you’ve ever been in our Life Together Group, or been praying with me, you’ve no doubt heard me finish many of my prayers with the phrasing, ‘In the places God has got us; In the time He has given us’. I can’t say that these lines are my own. I first heard them in London, Langham Place, All Souls Church.
Eunice (my wife) and I were very fortunate to have been able to hear preachers like John Stott and Richard Bewes when we attended All Souls in the early 2000s. Richard Bewes was the Rector at All Souls at the time and he would often conclude his prayers with that reminder – to do what God was seeking us to do ‘in the places God has got us; in the time He has given us.’
So, when Pastor Mark recently shared Genesis 28:16 (‘Surely the Lord is in this place, and I wasn’t even aware of it.’), I was immediately transported back to London – listening to Richard Bewes’ reminder, that God is everywhere and that He is wanting to use us, everywhere that He has got us; in the time He has given us.
It was, and is, a reminder that we don’t know how much time we have in the place we are in. What we do know, is that God has got us on frontlines where He is active, and where He wants us to partner with Him. This could be in the coffee queue near your workplace or at the local supermarket.
If you ever get a chance to look over the life of Richard Bewes, you’ll see that he allowed himself to be used powerfully by God, in the places that God had placed Him; In the time He had given him. Richard returned to the Lord in 2019, at the age of 84.
So, as we go into our week, may we be reminded by the purposefulness of God – He has got us in specific places to reach out to those there. May we also be reminded of the urgency of the work we have to carry out – the time God gives us is brief. We will return to Him soon enough, but till then, may all our days, bring glory to His name.
Shail Maharaj
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