Why Doesn't God Explain - Chapter 25

A man named St Augustine wrote many books and one of those books, Book 11 The Confessions, he devoted to a discussion of time. "What then is time?" he asks. "If no one asks me, I know; if I want to explain it to someone who does ask me, I don't know."

Someone once asked Augustine, "What was God doing before creation?" Augustine responded, "Since God created time along with creation, such a question was nonsense, and exposed the time-bound perspective of the one asking the question."

Before time there is only eternity. Eternity is a never-ending present. That's why for God one day is like a thousand years and a thousand years are like one day. "Where was God before heaven was created?" St Augustine answered. "He was in Himself." Martin Luther was asked the very same question and he was not so kind in his answer. "Where was God before heaven was created? Luther responds, "He was building hell for such idle, presumptuous, fluttering and inquisitive spirits as you."

We are taught that time is relative, that the perception of time depends on the position of the observer. Example: On February 23, 1987, an astronomer in Chile saw with his naked eye the explosion of a very distant supernova. It was so powerful that it released as much energy in one second as the sun will release in ten billion years. Question... did that really happen on February 23, 1987? Actually, the supernova exploded 170,000 years before 1987, but the light generated that far away traveled almost 6 trillion miles a year to reach the astronomers eyes. At least that's the perspective for anyone on planet earth.

The "higher" view defies our understanding of time. God who is larger than our entire universe, in fact is so large that He exists simultaneously on earth and in the space occupied by that supernova. Our time was February 23, 1987 but what time was it for God? From God's perspective as a resident here on earth, He would have "observed" history, which also included the discovery of the supernova. But from the perspective of the supernova, God "observed" the what earth would not see for another 170,000 years. God saw and sees the supernova as past, present and future all at one time.

If God desires to see what's going happening on the sun right now, he can "watch" from the perspective of the sun. If he desires to see what happened on the sun eight minutes ago, He simply watches from the earth. He will see what has traveled 93 million miles from the sun to the earth. So... God who is outside time and space, has a different perspective of what happens on earth than we can ever imagine.

Being a visual person this has shed some light for me. While recognizing that God is big and lives outside the bounds of time and space, and that He knows the beginning from the end, I never thought about Him "simultaneously" seeing quite this way.

In Job 42 Job says, "I'm convinced: You can do anything and everything. Nothing and no one can upset your plans. You asked, 'Who is this muddying the water, ignorantly confusing the issue, second-guessing my purposes?' I admit it. I was the one. I babbled on about things far beyond me, made small talk about wonders way over my head. You told me, 'Listen, and let me do the talking. Let me ask the questions. You give the answers. 'I admit I once lived by rumors of you; now I have it all firsthand—from my own eyes and ears! I'm sorry—forgive me. I'll never do that again, I promise! I'll never again live on crusts of hearsay, crumbs of rumor."

I can not help but question myself. Sorry, more questions. Is there no end?

How convinced am I? When I "BE STILL" I know.

No doubt that God, can do anything and everything? The question is not "can He," but, "why didn't He."

"Nothing" and "no one" can upset God's plans? I know of no one else who lives outside of the bounds of time and space so I embrace that and actually count on that.

Job's says, "I'm sorry." God, I am sorry! Job asks, "Forgive me." God please forgive me! Job says, "I'll never do that again, I promise!" ................................................................................ I am moved with emotion at the sadness I'm feeling because I can not make that promise. I can not say I will never do that again. Did Job mean that literally? Was Job able to keep His word? Was Job's revelation of God so much more than mine that He was able to make that promise?