Each time we turn the calendar on a new year, we hope for a new start. Some years are worse than others, either personally or for the whole world. This is obviously one of those ‘worse than others’ years.
Which Calendar Does God Use?
Now, is it revolving on its axis and rotating around the sun, or is it rotating on its axis and revolving around the sun? I always get those mixed up. Either way, both processes give us earthbound humans a sense of newness. Of starting over. A new year, a new day, a new start, a new chance.
But why did God ‘invent’ the calendar? Why, in our corner of the galaxy, does our little planet spin as it does, along with revolving (that’s it!) around a blazing ball of gas?
Well, science will say the rotation provides for a mixing of the atmosphere, moderation of surface temperatures, etc. while the revolving causes the seasons, periods of growth and rest for plants and animals, etc.
But God, in his grace, also uses his celestial engineering to illustrate something about himself and us.
Now, the psalmist and the apostle do say that a day is as a thousand years and a thousand years is as a day to God (Psalm 90:4, 2 Peter 3:8). However, he also deigns to give us a yearly, weekly, and daily picture of renovation and the chance of a new beginning.
There are so many reasons we need this. Redemption itself is the greatest. Though our sinful rebellion—both as a race and as individuals—is great, his mercies are greater still. As the prophet Jeremiah says, it is because of his mercies that he does not destroy us and, to further his point, he reminds us that those “mercies are new every morning.” (Lamentations 3:23)
Yearly Renewal
To mix in another metaphor, the Old Testament book of Exodus points out another aspect of newness for God’s people. When God released the Israelites from their 400-year bondage in Egypt (a metaphor we discuss elsewhere), he declares to them that the event is to become the first month of their year (Exodus 12:2)
Weekly Renewal
Thankfully, we do not need to wait for the new year for the rest we need. He has built into his creation order a weekly renewal, the sabbath (Exodus 31:15, Leviticus 16:31). Though we usually see it as a hassle and a restriction, God gave the sabbath as a release and a renewal, both for us and for creation itself.
Daily Renewal
And again, in God’s mercy at an even lower level, we need the newness everyday! Each time we sleep through the darkness that always blankets one half of our spinning globe — a globe that he started spinning in the first place — and wake again the next day, we can remember his presence. “Though weeping last for a night, joy comes in the morning.” (Psalm 30:5), and his “mercies are new every morning.” (Lamentations 3:23)
So, each time with flip the calendar to January 1 or each time we turn off the alarm clock in the morning, we can enjoy a preview glimpse of God’s final renewal.
Final Renewal
As said above, all of these examples of newness are for our sake, not God’s. Remember, he’s not in our time zone. “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.” (2 Corinthians 5:17) and “He who sat on the throne said, ‘Behold, I make all things new.’” (Revelation 21:5).
My Usual Warning
This metaphor may tempt us to think erroneously in two ways. One way would be to think that God is asleep at times and must be awoken at a certain hour. If this were so, exactly which time zone would he sleep in? With 24 of them to choose from, it would be a tough decision.
No, the psalmist says, “He who keeps Israel neither slumbers nor sleeps. (Psalm 121:4)
Our second erroneous belief would be thinking that God is tied into our human calendar. Back in the year 2,000, with the turning of the millennium, more than one Christian believer had the notion that, “It’s been exactly 2,000 years. It should be time for God to fulfill his plans.”
How silly this was, especially when historians and theologians don’t even know for certain when the year “zero” actually was. And what about the Chinese calendar? The Jewish? The Mayan? The Islamic, or Ethiopian, or Pawukon Calendar? Even God would get mixed up if he was required to follow a human calendar!
Our Best Calendar
Let me end with two verses that give us the always-correct perspective. One is directly from the Old Testament and one is from the New Testament (borrowing from the Old):
- “Teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom.” (Psalm 90:12)
- “For [God] says, “In the time of my favor I heard you, and in the day of salvation I helped you.” I tell you, now is the time of God’s favor, now is the day of salvation.” (2 Corinthians 6:2)
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