Divine urgency is the felt intensity of God’s purposeful action—the sense that God is pressing something forward now, not because He is rushed, but because the moment is ripe in His plan. (Microsoft Copilot)

Charles E. Hummel wrote a track titled “The Tyranny of the Urgent,” first published in 1967 by InterVarsity Press. In it, he asserted that the urgent is seldom important and the important is seldom urgent.

Today’s blog is not meant to refute this truth. Urgency is usually thought of as time-sensitive. However, in the daily walk of a Christian, urgency seldom has to do with time. Congregations and individual believers often float along week after week, month after month, absent from a sense of urgency.

One three-letter Greek term contradicts this behavior. The term is dȇi. It occurs 97 times in the New Testament and is almost always translated “must,” referring to a divinely ordained action. For example, Jesus, responding to the warning that Herod intended to kill Him, replied:

“Go and tell that fox, ‘Behold, I cast out demons and perform cures today and tomorrow, and the third day I reach My goal.’ “Nevertheless I must journey on today and tomorrow and the next day; for it cannot be that a prophet should perish outside of Jerusalem.” (Lk 13:32-34)

Jesus told Nicodemus, “Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’” (Jn 3:7-8) He told the woman at the well, “God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.” Failing to understand that Jesus was referring to divine urgency, the woman replied:

“I know that Messiah is coming (He who is called Christ); when that One comes, He will declare all things to us.” (Jn 4:25-26)

When the disciples asked for a sign that Jerusalem would be destroyed, Jesus responded:

“… when you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be frightened; those things must take place; but that is not yet the end. “For nation will arise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; there will be earthquakes in various places; there will also be famines. These things are merely the beginning of birth pangs.” (Mk 13:7-8)

Using an unabridged Greek dictionary or AI (It will give you a quick overview), note all of the occurrences of dȇi in the New Testament. You will then have a clearer picture of the frequent references to God’s divine appointments and the timeless urgency of His plan. God’s timelessness involves immediate urgency for us.

I have often quoted the poem by Dr. Benjamin E. Mays. It is appropriate to repeat it here:

I have only just a minute,
Only sixty seconds in it.
Forced upon me, can’t refuse it.
Didn’t seek it, didn’t choose it.
Give account if I abuse it.
But it’s up to me to use it.
I must suffer if I lose it.
Just a tiny little minute,
but eternity is in it.