Victoria Rowbottom
“So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom.” Psalms 90:12
Time is a curious matter, which we do not know much about. Sure, we know that we count the seconds, minutes, hours, days, and months, which subsequently turn into years, decades, and centuries. That is our earthly time system.
But what is time? What is time according to a Biblical perspective? What is it in light of our lives, God, the Bible, and the future? How does God perceive “time”?
We know from scripture that “one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.” (2 Peter 3:8)
We also are aware of the fact that before time existed, before the earth existed, and before anything existed, God was there. “Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God.” (Psalm 90:2) This makes God eternal, beyond and above time.
Time, as we perceive it today, must have originated in the beginning of the world. (Genesis 1:1)
“For He spake, and it was done; He commanded, and it stood fast.” (Psalms 33:9) This is no doubt speaking of the Creation process. When God spoke it was done “Let there be light and there was light” (Genesis 1:3)
Time began ticking from that moment on, and here we are today over 6,000 years later pondering the question, “What is time?”
We know that Heaven will be for eternity (Matthew 25:46). This is baffling to our finite minds, but we know it is true because we are told so. It is too complex to our minds because we are finite, rather than the infinite that God is.
But no matter what time is, for we know it exists (at least for now until we are in eternity in Heaven), the real question to ask is, “Why was I given this time on earth and what am I doing with this time that I was given??”
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A quote by Heartsill Wilson is fitting. He said, “ God has given me this day to use it as I will. I can waste it – or use it for good, but what I do today is important, because I am exchanging a day of my life for it.”
There is a time for everything as we read in Ecclesiastes 3:1 “To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:”
We are given this time on earth to fulfill a special destiny. A destiny that was predetermined before we were born.
Romans 8:28 says, “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose.”
What is this special destiny that we have been called to?
1 Peter 2:9 tell us, “But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:”
However, to fulfill our destinies we must realize our great helplessness without a Savior. Jesus Christ, who was equal to His Father and beyond and transcending TIME itself came to earth to rescue us from the bonds of sin. He died the most humiliating of deaths to bring us into partnership with Himself and to be re-instated as sons and daughters of God.
It seems only fitting that He should say in this verse, “I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation. (2 Corinthians 6:2)
Our prayer should be “So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom.” (Psalms 90:12)
When it comes down to the concept of time we know a few important answers. Time is what we are given on this earth to prepare for the heavenly one. It is our appointed moment to make a difference in our “corners” and be a shining light on a hill. And, yes, truly the acceptable time is now and the acceptable day of salvation is now! Before time runs out, will you choose to follow Christ?
