Posted on: 17th July 2025

As you read this blog, you may know exactly what time it is, or you may be totally unaware, because of other things on your mind. When we have to do certain things within a limited period or get to a certain place, we are always conscious that we need “to keep an eye on the time”. Another angle when considering time is that we often look back at certain experiences as “having the time of our lives”, or as Dickens said, “It was the best of times, the worst of times” 1

I’m usually a light sleeper and find myself having to get up at least three or four times during the night. Interestingly, two or three months ago, I woke up and noticed my alarm clock displayed 3.33am, and this happened more than once. This seemed very unusual, even though coincidental, and I’ve been asking myself since then: what could this mean or be saying to me? You may have some ready answers!

There are two Greek words for time in the Bible: chronos, “tick-tock time”, and kairos. Kairos is a special and vital time when God interrupts our lives and changes something in a deep way. It can have historical significance. This especially applies to the coming of Jesus “… when the time (kairos) had fully come.” 2 Another important aspect of kairos is being able to interpret the times as the sons of Issachar are said to “ understand the times”. 3

We are all subject to “tick-tock” time, but there is a different quality of time when God breaks into our lives or the context we are in, so that His purposes are fulfilled. So “what time is it?” for you. What is the particular season you are experiencing at this time in your life? Maybe it's completing your studies, finding a new job, looking forward to marriage, having children, coping with illness, bereavement (especially in my experience), or adjusting to later stages in life? Wherever you find yourself from a ‘chronos’ perspective, you can know a deeper awareness of God’s ‘kairos’ time in your personal life, local community, nation and in current global issues.

During this summer season, perhaps it’s a good time to reflect, allow God to speak to you afresh and be aware and prepare for those kairos times. There may not be many, but we need to recognise and embrace them fully when they come, and they will!

By Paul Lancaster, Hope for the Nations

1 A Tale of Two Cities Charles Dickens
2 Galatians 4v4
3 I Chronicles 12v32