God & Time

“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.” II Peter 3:8

Whether we put much thought into it or not, our lives are governed by time. Getting up, leaving for work, picking up the kids, meeting a friend for lunch–all of these activities are affected by time–when you leave, how long you stay, and so on. Your decision to click on this blog was affected by time. “Do I want to take a minute to read this now? Or later? Or ever? Is it worth a minute of my time?” As I sit here at my desk writing this blog, I have one eye on the clock. I have an appointment in 31 minutes!

Certainly, there are many ways in which the Sovereign God of the universe is different than the humans He created. Perhaps one of the sharpest contrasts between God and us is our relationship with time. Far from being bound by time and consumed with schedules, God exists independently of time. He is beyond time. He is above time. He created time. God is not “like us”, only starting earlier and lasting longer. No, He is eternal. God does not time travel; He is fully present at all times. There is no past or future with God, only the present.

If we do not understand what God says about His eternality and His existence beyond and above time, then we grow impatient. We grow impatient about His work in our lives, about His work in the lives of others, about His purposes in this world and about the return of Jesus. Trust Him. God makes everything beautiful in His time (Ecclesiastes 3:11).

-Pastor Mike