Time shapes every part of our lives. We measure it, we’re concerned about it, and often feel chased by it. Yet Scripture teaches that time is not random. It is directed by God. In Ecclesiastes 3, the word “time” appears again and again, reminding us that our days unfold under His care.
The chapter begins by telling us there is an appointed time for everything. Life is not a chain of accidents. The world operates under God’s authority. There is a time to search and a time to stop searching. A time to keep and a time to let go. A time to speak and a time to stay silent. But God’s control over time does not mean life is easy.
We face illness, injustice, and grief. Yet even the worst event in history, the crucifixion of Jesus, was not outside God’s plan. What looked like defeat became the means of salvation. The cross, followed by resurrection, shows that God works through both sorrow and joy.
After describing the seasons of life, Ecclesiastes asks what gain is there in our work? The answer is surprising. Work itself is a gift from God. Life may feel like waiting in an uncomfortable room, but waiting is not wasted if God is at work. We cannot control time, yet we can choose how we live within it.
God has placed eternity in our hearts. We sense there is more than this life, yet we cannot fully grasp it. This longing creates tension. We know we were made for something beyond our present experience. That tension should point us toward God. It is important to note that our eternal life is not earned through effort. It is given through faith in Jesus Christ. John 3:16 teaches that God gave His Son so that whoever believes in Him will not perish but have everlasting life. Eternity becomes a settled hope when a person trusts in Christ.
Within time, we are called to rejoice, do good, and fear God. Reverent fear is not panic but respect and worship. God’s works are lasting. Nothing can be added to or taken from what He has done. Since He is sovereign, we can live with gratitude rather than anxiety.
We are invited to breathe, release our grip on the schedule, and receive each day as a gift. God owns time. He appoints the seasons. He will judge justly. And through Christ, He offers eternal life. With that assurance, we can live faithfully in every season.
And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.
The first chapter of Genesis describes how God began His creative work. On the first day, He said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. While some say God created time in the first verse of the first chapter, where God created the Heaven’s and the Earth, Others say it happened specifically with the creation of light. They see this as more than the creation of physical light. They believe this moment marked the beginning of time itself. The separation of light from darkness established a pattern of day and night, a rhythm that defines how we experience life. This passage, they say, shows that time is not random or accidental; it is part of God’s good design. I won’t pretend to know for sure; the Bible doesn’t speak to the science of all this. But there are some solid thoughts on this.
God created the Earth, formless and void. IRS Images, 2025
In the account of creation, the Bible is not only describing physical matter but also the establishment of order and purpose. When God called the light “day” and the darkness “night,” He defined what a day is, a measurable period of time. The first day is described using a cardinal number, meaning it sets a standard. The days that follow are described using ordinal numbers, like second and third, showing a sequence built on the definition of that first day. Some say this suggests that God created real, 24-hour days, not long ages or eras, which challenges ideas that combine evolution with divine creation. I respectfully disagree. I read this as God creating with order. If we were to have exact length definitions, I think the Bible would spell this out. But that’s me talking, not the Bible. Shouldn’t we all be careful not to add to the Bible by portraying what we believe about the Word to be the Word itself?
Time, therefore, is one of the first gifts God gave to creation. It is the foundation for everything that follows. Space and matter exist within it. Yet Scripture also reminds us that God Himself is outside of time. He is eternal, not bound by hours or days. I’ve heard pop physicists on TV speak of Time and the physical universe being parts of the same thing. If God created the universe, I would expect him to be independent of it; and that includes being independent of time. Still, He entered into time through Jesus Christ. The eternal Son became human and lived within the limits of our world. Because of this, we can know God personally. Our salvation happens in time because Christ lived, died, and rose again within history. This shows that time is not only a physical reality but also a means through which God reveals His love and redemption.
O God, our help in ages past, Our hope for years to come, Our shelter from the stormy blast, And our eternal home. A thousand ages in Thy sight Are like an evening gone; Short as the watch that ends the night Before the rising sun.
The Bible often speaks of God’s relationship to time. In 2 Peter 3:8, it says that with the Lord, a day is like a thousand years and a thousand years like a day. This idea also appears in the Psalms, where it is said that a thousand years to God are like a night that has passed. These passages remind us that while time feels long or short to us, God sees all of it at once. Time belongs to Him. It is His creation and under His control.
Scripture also teaches that everything has its appointed time. In Ecclesiastes 3, we read that there is a time for every purpose under heaven, a time to be born, a time to die, a time to weep, and a time to laugh. Life includes both joy and hardship, and God has made all of it part of His plan. The writer of Ecclesiastes also says that God has “put eternity into the human heart.” Unlike other creatures, people are aware of time passing and sense that there is something beyond it. This awareness calls us to think about eternity and what comes after this life.
If time did not exist, change would be impossible. There would be no beginning or end, no growth, no redemption. But in time, God works out His plan. Salvation happens here, in the world we live in, not in some distant spiritual realm. Even the angels, who exist outside our physical world, do not experience salvation as humans do. They look upon it with wonder because it is something unique to us. It is God’s grace shown within time and history.
Time itself reminds us of our need for God. It shows that life on earth is temporary. We all have a past filled with sin and a future that can hold hope through Christ. The passing of time gives us the opportunity to repent, grow, and look forward to eternal life. Even death, which feels like the end, is only the beginning of life in God’s presence.
When we look back at the first day of creation, we see that the creation of time was not a small detail. It was a gift that allows life, history, and salvation to unfold. Time is not our enemy, though it may feel that way when we face pain or loss. It is part of God’s good creation, meant to bring order, meaning, and the opportunity to know Him more fully.
for He says, “At a favorable time I listened to you, And on a day of salvation I helped you.”
What happens to our loved ones after death? Are they “sleeping” until the second coming? For starters I think sleep is an obvious metaphor. The body is no longer functioning. But I would also suggest these questions have an assumption woven into them. They assume we are limited to time and space after we die.
Here are a few things to consider. Scientists say we perceive time, but we only have a vague understanding of it. They say time and space are relative. It’s hard to imagine two different places where time is not the same, but it’s fact. It’s also something for which if we couldn’t compensate our GPS system wouldn’t work.
2 Timothy 1:9 says, “… This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time,” There are other scriptures that talk about a beginning to time. Given this alone we see that time is not eternal, it was created by God along with the universe. Luke tells us the rich man, after his death, asked God to send Lazarus to warn his family. That was AFTER his death, yet the second coming has not yet happened. I think this is at least circumstantial evidence that we will not be limited to time after we die.
The science behind of all this is too much for me to understand, and I admit some of this is only an extrapolation from scripture, not scripture itself. So why is any of this important? Because it shows the limitations of our understanding, and how God and His creation are not limited to our understanding. Though we only have an idea of what heaven will be like, and only a glimpse of life after death, the bigger question here is, are you ready?
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