From timelessness to created time until timelessness
Category : Lent Devotions
Psalm 74:16-17
16 Yours is the day, yours also the night;
you have established the heavenly lights and the sun.
17 You have fixed all the boundaries of the earth;
you have made summer and winter.
In Genesis 1 we read how God created the earth and all that is needed for life. Before the verses 14-15 there was no concept of time as we know it. Today, people may ask questions like: Did the author of Genesis 1 intend to communicate that God created everything in six 24-hour days, or are the days meant to be understood in some other way? One thing for sure, God is the Creator and time and routine began in his creation (v.14-15), just as the psalmist acknowledges in Psalms 74:16-17: “[…] you established the sun and moon” referring to God. And thus comes our understanding of time, seasons and change.
14 And God said, “Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night. And let them be for signs and for seasons, and for days and years, 15 and let them be lights in the expanse of the heavens to give light upon the earth.” And it was so.
Genesis 1:14-15
Looking then at the lifetime of Jesus Christ, he came to us on earth in bodily flesh to live as fully man, born, growing from a baby to an adult man, under the care and love of his earthly family and yet with a deep relationship to God the Father and Creator. Some may say that Jesus’ ministry started with his first miracle, others with his first teaching, while others may even argue it was with his first encounter at the synagogue. Jesus began his mission at some point in time which would lead him all the way to his death on the cross. Yet his lifetime didn’t end there as he rose in victory, conquering death on the third day. His whole lifetime on earth was used fruitfully to teach his disciples and many others by means of parables and showing God’s power via miracles.
13 I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.”
Revelation 22:13
This is encouraging to us, reminding us that we can start afresh every day with the hope of growing in faith, turning away from wickedness in various areas of our lives, and living out our given purpose here on earth. So how can we begin to consciously value our time with God if we don’t actually start somewhere? Consider this today: WHEN do you start your time with God every day, and HOW do you spend it? Can we experience the fullness of life that Jesus has given us within the natural 24h-day that he has made? After all, God is the Beginning and the End (Revelation 22:13), not limited by time. At some point in time, we’d run out of time. But He doesn’t! Let us use our time wisely.
God of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob… and me, timeless God throughout the ages, please help us to live according to your will, using our allotted time well. We pray that your Holy Spirit prompts us daily to live by a supernatural faith within your created time. Amen.