What Kind of Time?

I just had a little piece of revelation today. I was pondering two kinds of time mentioned in the scriptures (there are at least three). With my Vine's Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words in hand, I did some digging. The more familiar usage to us is Chronos time, or the time that we refer to most often measured in seconds, minutes and hours. What we commonly call "a watch" that we wear on our wrist, used to be called "a chronometer". Read the fine print on the face of a Rolex watch and you will see the words, "superlative chronometer". But I digress. The second kind of time is Kairos time or what we refer to as seasons, ages or eras. Both are time, but counted differently.

God who is ageless and eternal is not subject to Chronos time. He isn't concerned with seconds, minutes and hours as we are. These things are very important to us as we only have a limited supply of them. God on the other hand has a limitless amount, so in reality they really don't apply to Him. We are very conscience of our Chronos time, less conscience of our Kairos time.

So, with this thought in mind, think of this verse of scripture:

2 Peter 3:8 (NKJV)
But, beloved, do not forget this one thing, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.

It's all the same to Him. Being eternal, one in terms of Chronos time is as good as another. However, it doesn't work that way with Kairos time. Consider this verse of scripture:

1 Thes. 5:1 (KJV)
But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you.

Interesting that both "times" and "seasons" are the same word, Kairos. It is times and seasons that are most important to God. We might think of it as "at the right time."

This factors in a lot to us. While we are so wrapped up in Chronos time, we tend to think that God is late so often, that God delays unnecessarily. We want answers to prayer now, within minutes, hours or days. God moves in seasons. I know that seems terribly inconvenient to us who are dominated by the clock most of our lives, but God is who He is, I AM.

So if it seems God is constantly showing up late for your need, remember, it is times and seasons, not minutes and hours. Hard to accept, but I am thinking that is the way it is.

As a secondary side note to all of this, a further revelation occurred to me. Wives are a lot like God in this way, much more than husbands. Husbands are very bound to Chronos time. Wives are much more oriented to Kairos time, times and seasons, "when the time is right". So, when a husband asks his wife, "when will you be ready?" or when they drive up to the mall, "when will you be back?" she intuitively understands that we husbands do not relate to Kairos time and gives us Chronos time so we can have something we can understand. The wife will say, "I'll be ready in five minutes." Now she is not telling us an untruth, but since we wouldn't understand it if she said, "when the time is right", or "in season", the answer of 5 minutes conveys the message that she is not ready yet. Remember the day versus a thousand years?, yep, wives also think one is as good as another. Five minutes is as good as half an hour or more. 5 o'clock is as good as 7 o'clock. It is all within the same era or season.

Honestly, I dont' know how theologically sound all of this is, but it sure helps me understand some things better. I hope it helps you, dear reader as well.