Simple logic and an understanding of the laws of physics declare that the sun can never stand still, and yet in Joshua 10:13 it is written, “And the sun stood still, and the moon stopped.” It is a remarkable verse of Scripture. The purpose of the astronomical event was for the Israelites to complete their defeat of the Amorites.

The sun stood still to give Joshua's army the time to complete their rout of the enemy.

The search for time sounds like a twenty-first century problem. We tend to be so busy that the gift of 86,400 seconds each day seems insufficient. Have you ever been so busy that you wish you had more time? “Just give me another day,” we say, or “How about another hour?” Most of us have made such statements, but is it possible to create more time? Can we make the sun stand still? The answer is yes.

There are people who are highly efficient. Others accomplish little over the course of a day. Some people seem to “save” time, while others put it to death. How often have you told someone that you were “just killing time”? As a minister I have the privilege of sharing the challenges of living with many people. I usually counsel with several individuals each day. As a person comes for a session, I often ask if he or she is aware of my custom. The word is getting out, so many of the people are aware that I like to begin each counseling session with five minutes of silence.

Most people crave a time to rest and willingly sit in the silence with me before we officially begin sharing with one another. Although I have never noticed the sun stand still during the five minutes, I am aware that often we lose all sense of time.

We enter a state of consciousness where God is present, and there is no time.
We complete our five minutes and say, “That was certainly fast. Where did the time go?”

I have come to believe we sometimes enter the kingdom where there is no time. When we return to the world, this consciousness clings to us and Spirit can have its way with us. The time we spend talking with one another is more productive.
Silence is a timeless realm, and we can enter into it by simply being still and giving attention to God. This method of making the sun stand still requires that we withdraw from the world, but there is another way to make the sun stand still, and it allows us to remain fully engaged in our day-to-day activities. It is to stand at the threshold of the Infinite called the now moment.

Many of our thoughts roam in the past or the future, and therefore we have no contact with the current moment. The challenge is that the eternal now is the threshold of the kingdom of God and true power. A simple act of conscious walking or gardening can connect us with our Source. There is no past or future, but there is peace in the moment, the wisdom to know what to do if action is required, and the strength and power to act. Why don't you try to make the sun stand still? Spend some “time” in the silence focused upon God, and then simply observe the productivity of the following hour. Give conscious attention to some simple act and then plunge into your day and observe how much is accomplished. The sun stood still long ago, and, if you look carefully, you will see it rest in the heavens when you are still or engaged in conscious living.
 
 

This article by Jim Rosemergy is from the free Unity booklet, The Power of Presence.