If God Can Turn Back Time
A Moment Outside of Time
Every day overseas felt like either a moment outside of time—where I witnessed God move—or a moment inside of time filled with overwhelming fear. My life could have ended at any moment under the consistent barrage of 7.62 rounds and high explosives (HE). I had a few choices:
Try to control these death-defying moments by relying on my weapons, finding comfort in the false security they provided.
Numb the fear with temporary worldly escapes—pornography, entertainment, and pressure releases that only masked the reality of my situation.
Spend time with the Creator of the universe—the God who is outside of time—and experience glimpses of supernatural protection, miracles, baptisms, and a reality beyond time itself.
By His great mercy and love, He had prepared me for this combat mission before I even stepped foot in that remote valley. He had given me a purpose a year in advance: start a church while fighting ISIS. Over there, I consistently spent time with the King of Kings. As a result, He not only protected me and my men—bringing us all home safely—but He also moved in ways I never expected.
One of the many miracles where He moved was the three baptisms that happened there, in the middle of the day, with the potential enemy looking on. We used the well water to fill up the tubs—-probably one of Jacobs wells 😂.
A Public Sign of Restoration
This story reminds me of the incredible miracle God did before King Hezekiah and his people:
“Listen carefully, I will turn the shadow on the stairway [denoting the time of day] ten steps backward, the shadow on the stairway (sundial) of Ahaz.” And the sunlight went ten steps backward on the stairway where it had [previously] gone down.”
— Isaiah 38:8 (AMP)
Why did God do a sign like this? Why should we care?
This was a visible, public symbol of restoration—a literal reversal of time.
Shadows on a sundial or stairway only move forward as the sun sets. But God made the shadow move backward, reversing time—something humanly impossible. And everyone saw it. The people of Judah may have still been terrified by the Assyrians, but after this second miracle (the first being the angel of the Lord destroying the Assyrian army, forcing them to retreat), I’m sure this filled them with confidence!
This mirrored the blessing Hezekiah received—a cure and fifteen more years of life.
Overriding Natural Laws
Only God, the Creator of time, and the universe, could orchestrate such a moment. Whether this was a literal turning back of time, an atmospheric shift, or another divine phenomenon, it demonstrated God’s absolute authority over creation.
Similar Signs in Scripture
This event parallels Joshua’s long day when the sun stood still (Joshua 10:12-14), showing that God can suspend time for His purposes.
It also reflects God’s promise to confirm His word with signs (e.g., Gideon’s fleece in Judges 6:36-40).
God, being outside of time, invites us into moments where time seems to pause—where we catch glimpses of eternity. When we consistently dwell with Him, even for a brief moment, we step into something beyond our limitations, beyond the ticking of the clock.
Stepping Into His Shadow
While I was overseas, God put it on my heart to memorize Psalm 91 and declare it over the base every day. So I did.
Today’s reflection reminds me of the first verse of Psalm 91:
“Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.”
Just like the shadow on the stairway in Hezekiah’s time marked a divine intervention, perhaps the shadows we experience in God’s presence mark our own moments of stepping into eternity—where He gives us peace, clarity, and a perspective beyond what time allows.
Where Does That Leave Us Today?
Never Finished Challenge – The Hezekiah Challenge
Some of you may be fighting for your life, going through an impossible situation, stuck in a rut, or facing a massive decision.
📖 Scripture: Isaiah 38:8 – God turned back the shadow as a sign to Hezekiah.
🔥 Challenge: Ask God for a specific sign or breakthrough in an area where you feel out of time, stuck, or beyond hope. Be bold in prayer today, believing that He can extend, reverse, or restore something in your life.
For Your Pocket:
God owns time. He made you. He loves you.
What Does Today Say About God?
Every event in His Word tells me that God is not confined by natural laws—He made them, and He can suspend or override them for His great purpose and for our good. Whether through stopping time, controlling the sea, or even bending reality itself, God’s power is limitless.
Thank You, Jesus!
Our family desperately needs divine restoration from a severe attack by the enemy. I believe the sovereign God can do ANYTHING. We are believers, founded in a Christ-centered marriage. I was diagnosed in 12/24 with stage 4 melanoma, then got treatment reactions that ruined my pancreas. I was then attacked in my non-physical being with something from which God had delivered me that originated in January 2010. That took close to 10 years to be delivered from, and by 2024 it was GONE. I can't go through that again; the pain and suffering were nearly unbearable. God's deliverance was borderline miraculous. It's even worse now. Why would God allow this now, right after all of that misery from which He already delivered me? There's nothing good here; it's pure evil. My precious son went from a bright, successful college student to calling school prison. He and I played on Worship Teams for years and now haven't played anywhere since. He misses it every day and just wants to be back playing again normally. I feel the same. God gifted us musically and in many other things. He's in college studying EE (like his dad) and is now having a terrible time focusing. 2024, up to Dec, was the best year of my career. I got my best performance review ever right before this. Now I'm a mess and can barely function in my job, which is a very high-level engineering position. I can't stand seeing our family -- particularly our son -- in this condition. The non-physical part of this is the worst. Saddest of all is that my son had been praying for me for 1 1/2 to 2 years for good health, a long life, and that my relationship with God be helped (I'd been going through a difficult season that went back to the 2010 incident). My audacious prayer is that God do a time miracle and take creation back to 6/10/24 (I ask for this date in honor of my son and another person, Justin. God knows), then do a divine healing miracle between hospitals for 3 testimonies. Also please pray that He spare the life of a 19-year-old who was killed in a tragic motorcycle accident on 6/13 -- that God keeps him safe at home that day. Please pray that God doesn't allow ANY of the wonderful gifts He has given our family (they are uncountable -- artistic, musical, technical, intellectual, and many more) go to waste. Since I'm praying that God takes time back, I pray that He also spares Charlie Kirk and another friend Chuck K., both who passed away since mid-2024. Our world desperately needs people like Charlie Kirk. Also, please pray for divine visitation. God knows the details. My name is Jonathan, my son is David, and my wife is Laura. Thank you so much.
Thank for this, Joseph! If the almighty God CAN turn back the time, He can do anything in my life. Praise the Lord