I read an article recently by Ken Ham, the great Christian apologist and founder of Answers in Genesis, The Creation Museum, and the Ark Encounter.  In the article, Ham points out how Genesis chapter one describes how God created Time.  Those six days of creation were, in fact, the first six days in all of history. I guess I hadn’t given much thought to the notion that this was actually the beginning of Time… itself, or that Time wasn’t really a thing before Genesis chapter one.

It’s also interesting to notice how the particular pattern of Time, as God created it, harmonizes so well with God’s ultimate creation – man.  We are uniquely created “in His image,” and therefore, the cycle of Time is divinely tuned to synchronize us with God, who created us.

We labor for six days, as God did during the creation week, then we take a day of rest, as He did.  It’s not as if God goes to sleep and ignores us on the seventh day.  Indeed, we certainly don’t ignore our own children on the Sabbath!  But it’s a time of sweet communion with God.  And it is a special time of special fellowship with our own families in our homes.

Other creatures, too, seem to have their own particular cycle of life. I like to watch nature videos. In one video, someone had placed a tiny camera inside a birdhouse.  The time-lapsed video started with an empty box, and a bluebird just discovering the potential nesting site. Then, in high-speed, the video covered a 33-day period in a matter of three minutes.  We watch as the little bird builds a nest inside the box, lays seven eggs, hatches the eggs, feeds the hatchlings as they grow, and finally sends them on their way to fly out of the box and fend for themselves in the world – all within a 33-day period.  Imagine if human mothers gave birth and raised a family of children to adulthood all in a one-month timespan!  In some ways that might seem appealing, but how much better is God’s timing for us.

A key part of His timing for us is the Sabbath.  Jesus said, “The Sabbath was made for man.”  Let’s enjoy this perfect time of rest, refreshment, and fellowship with the Lord of the Sabbath. After all, He created the Sabbath for just this very purpose!