Exodus 24:18 Then Moses entered the cloud as he went on up the mountain. And he stayed on the mountain forty days and forty nights.

Sometimes what God does seems instantaneous, and sometimes it seems to take time, or even a lot of time. The thing is, all of that is a matter of our perspective, because God is outside of time, and everything is NOW for Him. For an extreme example, we can look at creation. Genesis records it in terms of days, but current scientific estimates speak of millions and billions of years. Human life is limited when it comes to time, with anything over 100 years being considered exceptional, but for those who are in Christ, it is totally unlimited. (John 11:25-26) The timeframe mentioned here, of 40 days and nights, brings to mind Jesus’ time of temptation in the wilderness, which was said by Luke to be the same length. (Luke 4:2) We think of a 40-day fast as pretty extreme, but we don’t know how it seemed to Jesus. Just yesterday I read a study that showed that our perception of time affects how our bodies respond, to the point that we heal faster if we think more time has passed, regardless of objective measurement. There is a lot we don’t know! The point here is that we need to trust God with the schedule, whether it seems long or short to us. Our general perception has been likened to a toilet paper roll. When it starts out, a few sheets seem to make no difference, but by the end, even a few sheets make a big difference. For a small child, a week can be an appreciable fraction of their life experience, but for senior adults, even a year seems to flash by. We are not to be impatient, but know that God’s plans are perfect. Having just entered a new calendar year, all sorts of things seem new, but are negligibly different from a week ago. We sometimes get impatient, and sometimes think we have “all the time in the world,” but all of that is subjective. We need to look to and trust our eternal God, and leave Him in charge of the clock.

Not surprisingly, this is something I have a growing appreciation of as I grow older. I deal with people at all points on the time spectrum. I have a great-grand-daughter about to be born at any time now, and I have a friend who will be 101 next month. Time is relative! It’s now been many years since the Lord told me to rest, relax, and rejoice in Him. I’m still learning to do that! I am not to be slow in my obedience, but neither am I to complain at how long things seem to take. I remember having a pressing financial need while we were in seminary, and a check arrived in the mail the day after we prayed – showing that it had been mailed before we prayed! I am to keep my faith in the One who is outside of time, and know that His plans are perfect.

Father, thank You for this reminder. It’s interesting that I need it, after all these years! Thank You that I have gotten back to work on my autobiography. Help me be faithful in that, so that it will be completed on Your schedule, whatever that is. May I be instantly obedient to You, all the while resting in You, so that Your plans may be fulfilled on Your schedule for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!