Daylight Saving Time: Spring forward! Reset your clock, check your faith

Daylight Saving Time begins Sunday, March 13th, 2022 at 2 am. In those wee hours of the morning, when you reach out to turn your clock forward and curse losing an hour of that precious weekend time, seriously think about resetting or just beginning an intimate relationship with God. For me, it is usually in the early morning when I get the opportunity to celebrate an hour alone with God. These are the divine moments given to us by Him. I recognize that in my life, this thing called time moves quickly and can often appear out of control.

We all know the old proverb, “time nor tide wait for no man.” The origin is uncertain, although it’s clear that the phrase is ancient and that it predates modern English. “Tide” didn’t refer to the contemporary meaning of the word, i.e., the rising and falling of the sea, but to a period of time. When this phrase was coined tide meant a season, a time or a while.

Although man cannot stop time, God can and He has stopped the clock before as referenced in the Old Testament of the Bible. God created time and as such He can manipulate it and use it to serve His purpose and to bring glory to His Kingdom.

Joshua’s Sun Stand Still, courtesy John Fowler.

In Joshua Chapter 10, Joshua was on a mission to defeat the five evil kings of the Amorites. The five kings had been losing a long-standing war with Joshua’s army and planned to attack the great city of Gibeon, whose leaders had made peace with Joshua and with the sons of Israel.

God had guided Joshua to many victories so far with deceptive maneuvers and quick strikes against the enemy. Again, Joshua came upon the enemy suddenly with an all-night march and the Lord confounded the Amorites before Israel. The battle between the combined armies of the five Amorite kings and the army of Israel resulted in Joshua’s army slaying them with great speed and mightily pursuing them in their retreat.

Joshua wanted a total victory and feared the day would soon end and his enemy would escape. So, in a moment of deep faith, he prayed out loud, in front of his army and asked God to command the Sun to stand still so he could complete the victory.

“The day God gave the Amorites up to Israel, Joshua spoke to God, with all Israel listening: ‘Stop, Sun, over Gibeon; Halt, Moon, over Aijalon Valley.’ And the sun stopped, the moon stood very still until he defeated his enemies…the sun stopped in mid-sky and did not hasten to go down for about a whole day. There was no day like that before it or after it” (Joshua 10:12-14).

God controls the sun, moon and stars and placed days, hours and minutes into motion. There is not a minute that transpires that God is unaware. His authority over time as demonstrated in Joshua defeating the Amorites reveals His occupation with every minute of every day. In Psalm 90:4, Moses enlightens us with a profound analogy in describing the timelessness of God: “For a thousand years in Your sight are like a day that has just gone by, or like a watch in the night.”

Like Joshua, we often would like to see time stop for a day so we can catch up and improve on having God’s presence in our life. So come Sunday morning, take time to engage with God and ask to get to know Him. God has a will and a plan for your life. He wants you to know Him in a personal and intimate manner and to trust Him completely. He needs for you to understand His principles, what He desires to accomplish in your life and how He wants you to lead that life.

The best approach to get to know God is to take the time to find out about Him. Join a local Bible believing church. You will soon comprehend that he is faithful and true and a very loving friend.

“I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly” (John 10:10).

Mark Gunderman
Stephens City, Virginia