Right Here, Right Now

For the tabernacle of the LORD, which Moses had made in the wilderness, and the altar of burnt offering were at that time in the high place at Gibeon, but David could not go before it to inquire of God, for he was afraid of the sword of the angel of the LORD. Then David said, “Here shall be the house of the LORD God and here the altar of burnt offering for Israel.” 1 Chronicles 21:29-22:1

Whenever I’ve needed to make some radical life change – stop using drugs, go back to the gym, or start eating right – I’ve always gone through some significant period of time when I kept putting that thing off until tomorrow. I’ll get to it tomorrow. This is my way of avoiding the change indefinitely. As long as I tell myself tomorrow, I feel like I’m progressing towards a goal, when I’m actually not going anywhere. Tomorrow is just another excuse not to do the thing that needs to be done today. Tomorrow never arrives and after a month of tomorrows, I begin to realize that I’ve done nothing and gone nowhere.

When something vital needs to be done, there is no time or place like here and now. This is the lesson of today’s passage, in which David needed to offer sacrifice and inquire of God and his will. With the memory of the angel of destruction’s sword hanging over Jerusalem though, David didn’t feel as if he had the luxury of waiting to go to Gibeon, the usual place for such a sacrifice. So, he built an alter and declared that the sacrifice would happen right there, right then. This was too important of an event to put off until tomorrow. This must happen here and now.

This is a good lesson for me. When I realize that something needs to change, I should just commit to doing it immediately. Once I say, I’ll do it tomorrow, then I can just keep saying that, avoiding the pain of change indefinitely. If something needs to be done, then I’m far better off if I just insist on doing that thing right here, right now. Tomorrow may never come and so, if it needs to be done, I must simply commit to doing it today.