Sacrifice the Important for What seems to be Urgent

This may come as a shock but I am actually going to begin this blog with lyrics

to a Pink Floyd song: Time

Ticking away the moments that make up a dull day

Fritter and waste the hours in an offhand way

Kicking around on a piece of ground in your home town

Waiting for someone or something to show you the way

Tired of lying around in the sunshine staying home to watch the rain

And your young and life is long and there is time to kill today

And then one day you find ten years have got behind you

No one told you when to run, you missed the starting gun

So, you run and you run to catch up with the sun but its sinking

Racing around to come up behind you again

The sun is the same in a relative way but you’re older

Shorter of breath and one day closer to death

Every year is getting shorter; never seem to find the time

Plans that either come to naught or half a page of scribbled lines

Hanging on in quiet desperation is the English way

The time is gone, the song is over

Thought I’d something to say

Home, home, again, I like to be here when I can

When I come home and tired

It’s good to warm my bones beside the fire

Far away across the field

Tolling on the iron bell

Calls the faithful to their knees

To hear the softly spoken magic spell

I just love some of the lyrics as they comment on our tendency to sacrifice the important for the urgent.

1. Ticking away the moments that make up a dull day, fritter and waste the hours in an offhand way

2. Time to kill today and 10 years go by like nothing

3. No one told you where to run, you missed the starting gun – but God has told us where to run

4. You’re older, shorter of breath and one day closer to death

5. And the older we get we affirm the truth of the line, ‘ever year is getting shorter, never seem to find the time.’

   
   

Now no one would classify Pink Floyd as prophets but this song echoes with all the earth that we should never sacrifice the important for that which seems to be urgent. Consider some of the verses of Scripture that speaks of the importance of redeeming the time.

1. Ephesians 5:18 – Making the most of our time, because the days are evil.

2. Psalm 90:12 – So teach us to number our days that we may present to you a heart of wisdom.

3. Ecclesiastes 12:1 – Remember also your creator in the days of your youth, before the evil days come and the years draw near when you will say, “I have no delight in things.”

4. I Corinthians 7:31 – And those who use the world as though they did not make full use of it. For the form of this world is passing away .

5. Ephesians 5:15 – Therefore be careful how you walk not as unwise men but as wise.

The writer of Ecclesiastes describes a life continual sacrifice of the important in order to achieve that which seems to be urgent. He says it is continually worthless. In the end he landed on what is truly important: “Remember your creator in the days of your youth before the days of trouble come. Fear God and keep his commands for this is the whole duty of men.”

In contrast to Pink Floyd on time, I invite you to join me in making this hymn our prayer:

Take time to be holy, speak out with the Lord

Abide in Him always, and feed on his word

Make friends of God’s children help those who are weak

Forgetting in nothing His blessing to seek

Take time to be holy, the world rushes on

Spend much time in secret, with Jesus alone

By looking to Jesus, like Him thou shall be

©2025 David W. Drake, President, Renewed Hope, Inc.