How Should Christians View Time?

I was recently in the Isle of Harris at a conference, and there was a time of prayer at the start of the day. An older man began his prayer by saying, “Today, Lord, is a day that has been given by You, a morning which we will never have again, a day which we will not be able to redeem.” I was suddenly struck by the force of the truth that our time on earth is finite: a certain number of days, hours, and minutes, and then no more. On our gravestones there is the date of our birth and the date of our death.

Let’s consider a few principles that shape how Christians view time.

God is the author of time.

The Bible begins and ends by talking about time. The creation story is full of references to time: “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth” (Gen. 1:1). At the very end of the Bible, John writes: “He who testifies to these things says, ‘Surely, I am coming soon.’ Amen. Come, Lord Jesus” (Rev. 22:20). God is the Ancient of Days.  

We experience time sequentially; There is the past, the present, and the future. But God knows the beginning from the ending. He is eternal in His being, wisdom, and power (Westminster Shorter Catechism 4)—there is no change in God. He does not age.

God has made Himself known in time.

When you were little, do you remember that feeling of wanting time to speed up? Now in middle age, with my children the age they are, I want time to slow down. I am told that in old age people want to wind the clock back. None of those things are possible. We are not in control of time, so it is vital in life to understand how we must live in the time we’ve been given.

God is beyond time. He is eternal, but “at the right time Christ died for the ungodly” (Rom. 5:6). Likewise, “when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons” (Gal. 4:4–5). 

God is sovereign over time.

He is working all things out in accordance with His will (Eph. 1:11). There is a season and a time for everything (Eccl. 3:1). He declares “the end from the beginning and from ancient times things not yet done” (Isa. 46:10). God is the One who “changes time and seasons” (Dan. 2:21).

We receive time as a gift from God. It’s why the prayer of the man at the conference is so striking and so helpful. Day by day, morning by morning, we remind ourselves with the psalmist that our times are in His hand (see Ps. 31:15). This means that we don’t need to give way to fear. Rather, we can recognize that God has given us time to use and enjoy.

Because God is the author of time, has made Himself known in time, and is sovereign over time, how should Christians view their time?

1. We recognize that time is precious and limited.

The book of Proverbs is full of advice on investing time wisely and not wasting it (Prov. 3:2; 9:11; 10:27; 15:15; 28:16; 31:12). The psalmist famously prays,

Teach us to number our days
that we may get a heart of wisdom. (Ps. 90:12)

The finality of life is taught again and again in Scripture. Jesus tells us that none of us can add a single hour to our life (Matt. 6:27; Luke 12:25).

2. We make the best use of time.

Colossians 4:5 tells us to make “the best use of the time.” Paul tells us, “Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil” (Eph. 5:15–16). The King James Version talks about redeeming the time. In other words, there is so much we can spend our time on and so much we can waste time on that we should deliberately and carefully use our time. It’s the Bible version of a time management course.

3. We see time as a gift from God to be enjoyed.

God has made everything beautiful in its time (Eccl. 3:11). The years, months, days, hours, and minutes are given to us by God. We have no idea how many we will have. In comparison to God, our lives are like a few handbreadths (Ps. 39:5–6), like the morning mist or the dew on the grass, so we are to enjoy the time that God gives us. Seeing time as an opportunity to glorify God and enjoy Him, we are to enjoy the good gifts He has given us.

4. We live in the light of eternity.

I find thinking about how time will work in the new creation difficult to understand, and yet it will be glorious. We will never have that feeling of wanting more time, and that fear of things passing too quickly will be removed. We will never just “run out” of time. The dread of times to come will be removed. We are told more in Scripture about time in hell, where it will be tortuously long and there will be no end to suffering.

Living in the light of these realities will change how we live, how we act, and how we speak. Time is very precious and limited, so I suggest that you begin your days with the prayer of my friend: “Today, Lord, is a day that has been given by You, a morning which we will never have again, a day which we will not be able to redeem.”