God's View of Time is Not Like Ours

Those of us waiting on the Lord often wonder in prayer: Lord, what is taking so long? We hope and pray for the time we can be joined with God in heaven. We do not want to wait any longer.

Would you believe people were asking that same question even in the first century? When the apostle Peter wrote his second epistle to the churches in Asia Minor (modern-day Turkey), he likely did so from the depths of a prison in Rome. Condemned to die by Emperor Nero, Peter’s goal for that letter was to confront false teachers who had permeated the church and to correct the doctrinal confusion they had caused.

By that time it had been almost forty years since Jesus died, rose again, and ascended into heaven with the promise to “prepare a place” for His followers. The early church was aware of that promise, and many wondered why it was taking so long.

Centuries later, we are still waiting. Though we may be impatient, we must remember that God sees time in a fundamentally different way. To him, a day is a thousand years. Part of the life of faith is trusting that God is gathering souls to Him as we speak. This delay in the coming of Christ is not because of lack of concern but is actually a sign of how much He cares and loves people. He’s waiting because He’s patient. He wants people to come to Him before it is too late.

Reflect

How might we try to imagine a God who is greater than time? Though it is impossible for us to fully understand an eternal and omniscient God, how does the exercise help us better understand His plans for us and His universe?

Pray

Dear Lord, grant me patience as I wait for your Son to return. Give me wisdom and courage to use every moment of my waiting in a purposeful and righteous manner.