I recently had a cyst removed from my jawbone. The oral surgery took less than an hour, and I woke from the general anesthesia surprised at how swiftly those sixty minutes went by. My sense of time differed from the doctor’s because he was conscious of its passing while I was not.
We travel through life in a time-conscious state. Our calendars, clocks, and schedules dictate when events begin and end. We naturally interpret life with a chronological mindset. And our logic demands a sequential paradigm.
Our limited temporal vantage point can trip us up in reading the Bible, though. For example, the first three chapters of Genesis appear to give two separate creation accounts. From that start it seems contradictory, and therefore many reject the Bible as inconsistent. However, for Moses, the author of Genesis, it made perfect sense to first give a sweeping overview and then go back to fill in the details. The events in Ezekiel and Revelation, similarly, do not all appear in sequence. Even the books of the Bible themselves are not arranged chronologically. This lack of conformity to our sense of order leads to misinterpretation and often rejection of God’s Word.
In that same vain, many people demand that Biblical accounts fit within the framework of what they deem possible in the realms of human achievement and scientific knowledge. So they dismiss the possibility of a six-day creation–and often, the possibility of God’s very existence. Whatever seems illogical gets labeled impossible.
We march through life blind to our human constraints and our extremely narrow perspectives–all the while considering ourselves wise and enlightened. Yet God has no physical limits. He created our physical sphere, from the atomic level to the cosmic. And He has no time constraints because He created time itself.
2 Peter 3:8 explains, But do not let this one fact escape your notice, beloved, that with the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years like one day. He exists outside of time and space, as does His heavenly host.
Virtually every time angels appear in the Bible, they start with the reassuring words, “Do not fear!” Why this message? First of all, because the natural human response to unexpected, unexplainable occurrences–such as a spiritual being suddenly appearing in our physical world–is fear. Secondly, the existence of angelic beings underscores our human limitations and immediately brings to mind our sense of accountability to God, another fearful thought.
But this “Do not fear” message was meant to bring comfort. Since God exists outside of time and space, we should trust His perspective. He sees the BIG picture in a way that history, science, and personal experience never can. His Word and His Son give us a glimpse into His perspective.
With that in mind, not trusting God is the ultimate act of foolishness. It’s like ignoring the GPS in a foreign country because we think we know a better route, or disregarding a compass, convinced we know what “North” feels like. Instead, let’s put our full trust in the One who sees the end from the beginning, who transcends time and space, and who always interprets life correctly.
As a historian who thinks chronologically, I appreciate this very different perspective you offer, Carrie. I like to think “big picture”, but MY “big picture” isn’t God’s big picture at all, is it? That is unknowable to me, which is a bit humbling. Thanks for your thoughts on this topic.