
Kerry Lytle
July 5, 2025
2 Peter 3:8, English Standard Version
"But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day."
As human beings, we are pretty familiar and obsessed with time. It rules our lives. We have to be at work on time, we have to schedule our time, we have to go to bed on time, we have to set time aside to do fun things or things we dread, we have to set timers, timeouts, etc. Time is an important part of our lives here on Earth.
God, the Father of us all, is not governed by time. How is it that God is timeless? He told us that He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. (Hebrews 13:8) We can trust that He will keep His promises and love us, because He doesn’t change. Ever. And if He never changes, then we can have confidence that He will keep His promises, and our actions of faith will be rewarded. Christ is somehow always the same, no matter where on earth’s timeline He chooses to appear. Time does not affect or change Him.
You have probably heard that one day in heaven is a thousand years on earth. How is that possible? God’s time is so much grander and mysterious. It’s timelessness.
The Apostle Peter said, “…one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day” (2 Peter 3:8, ESV). Notice that it includes both ways: a day to God is a thousand years to us and a thousand years to God is one day to us. How could it work both ways? How could God’s time be slower than ours and faster than ours simultaneously?
The simple answer is the Lord is not governed by time at all–be it our time, deep time, or dinnertime. All is as one day with God, and time only is measured by us. Whether it be a thousand years, a thousand seconds, a thousand millennia, the past, the present, or the future, it’s all like one big day to the Almighty.
I think the most important example of the timelessness of God comes in the work done on the cross. Jesus hung there for several hours, to give us salvation for all eternity! What He did in those few hours we, ourselves could never do in a lifetime. Do you see the timelessness that was required? It was something that only a God could do. Jesus had to slip into eternity that night. What seemed by our clocks to be only three hours on a night two thousand years ago is still going on today for each of us in some infinite, eternal, timeless way.
To me, a God that never changes is a timeless God. Living things grow old, atoms decay, space expands; all the time we are learning new things and adapting to the world around us. We, who live in time, are changing all the time! If God wasn’t timeless, then like all things, He would also change over time. But He stays forever the same, from all eternity to all eternity, the Great I AM.
We limit ourselves because we set timeliness in our lives. A certain project or endeavor may seem like we don’t have the time to complete, so we don't do it. Maybe, if you are older and want to go back to school, but think "how can I make a new career when half my life is over? The good news is that the Lord is timeless and can do more in one hour than we can ever do in one year.
The saying "Jesus can do more in one hour than we can do in a year" emphasizes the immense power and ability of Jesus Christ, particularly when contrasted with human limitations. It highlights the idea that God can accomplish far more in a short time than humans can through their own efforts, even over an extended period.
The saying highlights the contrast between human limitations and the extraordinary power of Jesus to effect change beyond human capacity and timeframe. Jesus can shift our situation in one second if He wants to.
The saying "one day to the Lord is like a thousand years to us" emphasizes God's timeless nature and perspective, contrasting it with humanity's limited perception of time.
Remember, God can do more in a moment in your life, your family, your job, in all your circumstances than you can do in a lifetime. Commit everything to Him and watch Him move!