Paul Luckraft reviews ‘Time: Full Stop or Question Mark?’ by Stephen Bishop (Zaccmedia, 2017).

This is a very readable and thought-provoking book on a key issue. Is time a constraint upon us and our enjoyment of life, or a God-given means of exploring life to the full before we enter eternity? We may (at times!) feel controlled by time, but God is not. He controls it. The aim of the book is to explore “some of the implications of God’s control of time and seasons described in the Bible” (p.ix).

The book contains 17 short chapters, each ending with some questions ‘For Reflection’, suitable for personal reflection or group study. These chapters divide into two roughly equal halves.

Section One covers the general aspects of time and aims to have a practical focus. Section Two is a short study on Ecclesiastes 3 and takes us through each of the first eight verses, one per chapter.

In a society that wants to speed everything up and get instant results, the idea of slowing down, waiting and preparing ourselves while God works through his plans at his pace seems to go against the grain. The final chapter of Section One is called ‘Taking a Break’ and looks at the concept of a time of rest without quite going so far as to mention ‘Shabbat’. To explore this theme in more detail you will need to look elsewhere. Another interesting chapter considers how God often does things ‘last-minute.com’.

It must be stressed that this is not another book on time management. Rather it mixes a sense of personal devotion to God with thorough biblical analysis and exposition. Here we find a gentle persuasion to make time our (new) friend and not our old enemy. It should make us more ready to meet God at the times of his choosing and not according to gaps in our schedule.

‘Time’ (146pp) is available from the publisher for £6.99. Also available elsewhere online. Click here to watch a short Youtube video from the author, about the book.

Also by Stephen Bishop:

Dialogue with a Donkey (2014) (Balaam)

Fleeces, Fears and Flames (2014) (Gideon)

Finding a Place to Settle (2016) (Ruth)