A dogmatic belief in objective value is necessary to the very idea of a rule which is not tyranny or an obedience which is not slavery.
C. S. LewisRead
Almost certainly God is not in time. His life does not consist of moments one following another...Ten-thirty-- and every other moment from the beginning of the world--is always Present for Him. If you like to put it this way, He has all eternity in which to listen to the split second of prayer put up by a pilot as his plane crashes in flames.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote suggests that God exists outside of time, experiencing all moments simultaneously.
C. S. Lewis reflects on the nature of God's existence, proposing that unlike humans who perceive time as a sequence of moments, God transcends time and experiences every moment at once. This idea brings comfort, suggesting that even in dire circumstances, such as a pilot's prayer during a crisis, God is always present and aware, able to hear and respond without the limitations of human temporal experience.
Themes
GodTimeEternityPrayerPresence
In practice
Example use cases
In a sermon about the nature of God, this quote can illustrate God's eternal presence.
More from C. S. Lewis
All quotes βI enjoyed my breakfast this morning, and I think that was a good thing and do not think it was condemned by God. But I do not think myself a good man for enjoying it.
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Aim at heaven and you will get earth thrown in. Aim at earth and you get neither.
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Forgiving and being forgiven are two names for the same thing. The important thing is that a discord has been resolved.
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I pray because I can't help myself. I pray because I'm helpless. It doesn't change God - it changes me.
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The instrument through which you see God is your whole self. And if a man's self is not kept clean and bright, his glimpse of God will be blurred
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