What Time Is It?

As a tennis fan, I’ve been following closely the Australian Open which is coming to a close this weekend. The difficulty is, Australia is 16 hours ahead of our time here on the US East Coast. Thus, I’m constantly trying to calculate the times of the matches and/or what time it will be here when they are playing over there. After all, when their day is coming to a close, ours is just beginning. A match that begins in the early evening over there, ends up in the middle of the night over here. The end result is, I get to watch very few live matches.  And I’m constantly asking, “What time is it?” 

Any of us who have traveled between time zones know we are constantly trying to figure out how our time in the place where we are relates to the time back home.  After all, you don’t want to try to call your wife or office when it is 3:00 a.m. their time. It reminds me of the old song by the group Chicago “Does anyone really know what time it is?” Of course, Einstein had his theory about time: that time is relative—i.e., “the rate at which time passes depends upon your frame of reference.” (www.amnh.org) In other words, our sense of time depends upon a variety of factors, especially our distance from a point in time. That’s why when we are young time seems to move so slowly, but as we age time seems to go by faster and faster. 

If you think about it, God is so far removed from time that our time zones are irrelevant to him. His perception of time is completely different than ours. In fact, he is outside of time. That’s why the Bible says, “A thousand years in your sight are like a day that has just gone by or like a watch in the night.” (Psalm 90:4 – NIV) And it is with this context in mind that the Apostle Peter answers the cynics of his day who were asking, “Where is this ‘coming’ he promised? Ever since our ancestors died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation.” (2 Peter 3:4) Peter answers with the psalmist’s words. His point is, what might seem slow to us is not at all slow to God. God will keep his promise. Christ will return. The end will come. From our perspective it might seem like it’s taking a very, very long time; from God’s perspective, it has not been long at all. 

What time is it? The Bible gives a simple answer: Now is our time to prepare ourselves for the return of our Savior. Now is our time to get our lives right with God. Now is our time to make sure we are ready for eternity. Now is our time to invest ourselves into the Kingdom of God and treasures that will last forever. That’s what time it is!  

“The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.” (2 Peter 3:9)  

Have a great day! 

- Pastor Tim Harris