Ducks in a Row

“Let all things be done decently and in order.”

1 Corinthians 14:40

“Get your ducks in a row.”

We have heard that expression a lot in this culture.

It’s about getting organized. Being prepared.

Planning ahead.

It's the stuff that is lauded in our modern-day world.

“Walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time.”

Colossians 4:5 

I have a duck kitchen timer.

This guy, right here.

Like most kitchen timers, it has a capacity of one hour on it.

Most things that would need to be timed, fall within that one-hour timespan.

We can reason that there is plenty of time to get things done.

Reason.

Time.

“He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also, he has put eternity into man's heart, yet so that he cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end.”

Ecclesiastes 3:11 

There is an Order to us; He created us intentionally.

We are His Creations in Time.

“Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them.”

Psalm 139:16 

Time, Spending time wisely. Getting successfully our ducks in a row.

“Let all things be done decently and in order.”

1 Corinthians 14:40

It’s a challenge, for the best of us, for the best of our circumstances.

The Almighty is a Deity of order. But He is more than that. He is not just Our Creator; He is Our Father.

So, with that in mind, let’s break down how Time concerns Our Father.

For our sakes.

FATHER Time…

“And he made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place.”

Acts 17:26 

Before there’s the emphasis on Him as Father, there is the Role of Creator.

It’s what Kicks off everything in Genesis.

“In the beginning…”

Genesis 1:1

Right away, He sets the orderly stage.

Included in that is time, expressed through seasons.

“…’Let there be lights in the firmament of the heavens to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs and seasons, and for days and years.’”

Genesis 1:14

“He made the moon for the seasons; The sun knows the place of its setting.”

Psalm 104:19

A time kind of baseline.

And Ecclesiastes has a lot to say about Time.

Ecclesiastes, Yep…

“For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven: a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted; a time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing.”

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 

We are all familiar with the song, “Turn, Turn, Turn,” by The Birds.

“…there is a time for every matter and for every work.”

Ecclesiastes 3:17 

He is fully aware of Time, its restrictions, it’s reality for us. He is not condemning us for being concerned about Time. He created it, after all.

Nevertheless…

He views Time Differently Than Us.

“He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority.

Acts 1:7 

“But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.”

2 Peter 3:8 

Perspective. He has the Ultimate Perspective.

He knows exactly how finite we are.

“Come now, you who say, ‘Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit’— yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. Instead you ought to say, ‘If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.’”

James 4:13-15 

Most of us, most of the time, operate under the illusion that we have plenty of time to do things.

To put off doing things. To make things right. To “get around to it.”

However, for those of us diagnosed with something as serious as cancer in our lives, that assertion is challenged.

Being a “cancer survivor,” myself, I am much more aware of time.

It’s not a new thing.

How many of us are preoccupied with mortality thoughts?

A diagnosis, an advanced age, a “near-death” accident, and life changes, in general, can all serve as wakeup calls.

Do we wake up?

How awake are our ducks? Are they in a row?

How does our loving Father see that reality for us?

If we are honest with ourselves, the answer is quite grim.

Hence, out of That “Father Time” Love, He created The Answer…

“But concerning that day or that hour, no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.

Mark 13:32 

Yes, His Son.

Our Savior.

Our Messiah.

Son Time…

“Besides this you know the time, that the hour has come for you to wake from sleep. For Salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed.”

Romans 13:11 

Time has Our Messiah written all over it.

He is the Eternal Promise of Salvation.

He outlasts Time.

He is “the same yesterday and today and forever” (Hebrews 13:8).

Even so, there is the caution regarding Him…

“Now concerning the times and the seasons, brothers, you have no need to have anything written to you. For you yourselves are fully aware that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. While people are saying, ‘There is peace and security,’ then sudden destruction will come upon them as labor pains come upon a pregnant woman, and they will not escape.”

1 Thessalonians 5:1-3 

There is a sobering, cautionary urgency to that of “The Son,” within the context of Time. We are not to be complacent.

“Unexpectedly,” is the urgent warning.

Will we be ready? How will He find us? How will we find ourselves?

Are we ready?

How do we get and stay ready, even as finite and flawed as we are?

“And saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of The Most High is at hand; repent and believe in the Gospel.’”

Mark 1:15 

Repentance.

Acknowledging our sinful nature, asking forgiveness of it.

“Who can understand his errors? Cleanse me from secret faults. Keep back Your servant also from presumptuous sins; Let them not have dominion over me. Then I shall be blameless, And I shall be innocent of great transgression.”

Psalm 19:12-13

Turning our heart, our actions, and our intentions to change, in His Direction.

“For he says, ‘In a favorable time I listened to you, and in a day of salvation I have helped you.’ Behold, now is the favorable time; behold, now is the day of Salvation.”

2 Corinthians 6:2 

And yes, we need a lot of help doing that.

Precisely why there exists the famous scripture, John 3:16…

“For The Most High (Our Father) so loved the world, that he gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.”

Our Savior is Our Necessity.

There is no getting our ducks in a row WITHOUT Him.

So, now what? We know that we have a Creator Father, Who, out of His Sovereign Love and Mercy, gave us His Son.

But we live as flawed, sinful people in a toxic and challenging world. How do we cope? What is our responsibility?

Part of the answer?

We are to be led by His Spirit.

Spirit Time…

“And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you forever.”
John 14:26

I will send you the Comforter.

Guidance. Being led and soothed. This is The Nature of His Spirit.

And yes, it applies to time… and our purpose within that time.

“Yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes.”

James 4:14 

“Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring.”

Proverbs 27:1 

We Need To Be Taught.

“So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom.”

Psalm 90:12 

Being guided is part of the teaching.

We are finite.

“Remember how short my time is! For what vanity you have created all the children of man!”

Psalm 89:47 

His Spirit knows this about us.

We only have so much time to live out, to grow, to achieve, to become the embodiment of His Purpose, uniquely wrapped up in the individuals we are.

Time is a priority. What needs to be accomplished within that timespan?

Again, my cancer diagnosis has given me more of an acute sensitivity to this sobering reality.

How long will I live, especially with the widely agreed-upon, death sentence of cancer?

How many days do I have left?

How many special moments, holidays, birthdays, and commemorations do I have left?

What do I want to focus on?

More importantly, what does The Most High want me to focus on?

It’s about executing that.

Especially IF I “am dying.”

A diagnosis may heighten things.

But the truth is that we are all dying. Some have more days than others.

Some have more “Time.”

Ducks in a row.

Getting affairs in order.

Being ready.

It’s not a one-time event, a lot of the time.

It’s ongoing. Repetitive. Daily. It’s intentional.

It’s a decision. It’s a priority.

“Not that I have already attained or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me.”

Philippians 3:12

And it’s not perfect, as we are not perfect human beings.

“For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of The Most High.”
Romans 3:23

His Spirit also knows this about us. And He is not overwhelmed by that.

My Times are in Your Hands.

At this time of year, we are about to celebrate The Feast of Trumpets.

Also known as Rosh Hashana.

Yom Kippur.

These are wake up calls. Checkpoints. Check-ins.

Opportunities to self-reflect.

“My times are in Your hand; Deliver me from the hand of my enemies. And from those who persecute me.”

Psalm 31:15

It’s not about panicking. But it is about utmost importance. Where do we find ourselves right now?

Scripture tells us that we are “daily loaded with benefits” (Psalm 68:19).

Again, Time.

Do we ask for help WITH that Time, known as our life?

“But you, O Lord, do not be far off! O you my help, come quickly to my aid!”

Psalm 22:19 Bottom of Form

Someday, our lives will be required of us.

Someday, we will answer for our lives, what we did concerning The Salvation Work of The Cross (Philippians 2:10-11).

Are those ducks in a row?

They are the most important kind.

“…make me know my end and what is the measure of my days; let me know how fleeting I am!”

Psalm 39:4 

ABBA FATHER-

We come to You, in the Name of Your Son, Our Savior, Yahshua.

We ask for Your help with Time.

Not just with the practical daily things in life, even though yes, You and we recognize they are important.

But we ask for help with “the bigger picture” of Our Purpose. We know that time is built into that also.

Help us, favor us, lead us, guide us, and protect us as we live out that unique purpose.

Each one of us IS unique. Therefore, our individual purpose is also, likewise, unique.

Govern our entire lives.

May we truly glorify You, with all of our “ducks being in a row.”

Thank You,

We receive Your Loving Interaction and Help in our lives now,

In Yahshua’s Name,

Amen.

 

Copyright © 2025 by Sheryle Cruse