Time

On the fourth day of creation, God said, "Let there be lights in the firmament of the heavens to divide the day from the night; and let them be fore signs and seasons, and for days and years" (Gen. 1:14). Moses further explained that these "lights" were "to give light on the earth, and to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness" (vv. 17-18).

These words on the creation of the sun, moon, and stars demonstrate the precision with which God created the world. As we look at the natural order, it is hard to believe that certain individuals actually believe the world came about through a great cosmic accident, a natural mishap that turned out pretty well. Their view is about as absurd as betting Ole Paint will win at the races with better than billion to one odds.

We are still using this system God put in place for numbering the "days and years." Although several systems have been developed for measuring time, astrological data still provides the most reliable standard. For centuries, the orbit of Earth around the Sun, as well as the orbital motions of the Moon and the other planets, have answered the question, "What time is it?"

The state of Indiana is suffering from chronological chaos. Of its 92 counties, 77 have been on Eastern Standard Time year-round, ignoring daylight-saving time. That means they're off an hour from adjacent states like Ohio, but only for about half the year. An additional five Indiana counties change their watches each spring and fall along with Eastern states, while 10 others keep Central time along with Chicago. Needless to say, Hoosiers have trouble knowing how to set their watches. Sports statistician Jeff Sagarin thinks the answer to this problem is putting the entire state on Central Standard Time. His reasoning? The sun should be overhead at noon. Central Standard Time would accommodate this rule better than any other standard.

It is true that today most of our clocks are set to atomic time--a method based on the frequency of electromagnetic waves that are emitted or absorbed by certain atoms or molecules under particular conditions. However, scientists still look to the stars. A most recent development reveals that rapidly spinning magnetic stars called pulsars send out pulses of energy that can be picked up by astronomers viewing the heavens on radio telescopes. These pulses may be even more accurate than readings from atomic clocks.

Maltbie D. Babcock writes, "All nature sings, and round me rings the music of the spheres." Who knows what "music" Babcock had in mind, but according to what God has set in place, it may beat to the ticking of a clock.