Question: If God is omnipotent (all-powerful), why did he take six days to create everything? Why not speak everything into existence all at once?
“But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day” -Peter 3:8
God has the ability to do anything! Yes, if He wanted too create everything at once, He could have. God has endless power and anything is possible for him [Matthew 19:26]. So why did he choose to spread his creation out in 6 days? There is a purpose for choosing to create everything in this specific time frame. However, we have to take into consideration that when Genesis refers to ‘a day’ it doesn’t necessarily mean a 24hr span, like we have labeled. Before the clock existed, a sun dial was used. Before a calendar was created with months, weeks and days, people lived according to sunset and sunrise. So, when He mentions ‘a day’ it can be interpreted in many different ways.
One day to us is like a thousand years for God! Can you imagine that? A thousand years! That’s longer than how long ago our parent’s parent’s parent’s parent’s parents were alive! So, if God created the world in 6 days, could that truly mean 6,000 years? According to scientist, the earth is 4.5 billions years old! Since, a billion is equal to a thousand millions, that would only be about 11 years to God.
Now, I don’t want to make this into a math class lol So, instead of focusing on the numbers or days God used to create life, let’s focus on why. Genesis explains that He created the world in six days, and rested on the seventh. In Exodus 34:21 it explains how humans should live, “Six days you shall labor, but on the seventh day you shall rest; even during the plowing season and harvest you must rest” or “”You have six days each week for your ordinary work, but on the seventh day you must stop working. This gives your ox and your donkey a chance to rest. It also allows your slaves and the foreigners living among you to be refreshed (Exodus 23:12.)
I believe the purpose of God using 6 days, and resting on the 7th is to guide us in our lives. He wants us to work for things, but also make time to rest. It is good to work, but we also have to give our bodies time to heal so that we are refreshed and rejuvenated for the following week. Although the 7th day is a day for rest, it is also a day for worship. This day is called the Sabbath. Remember to observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy [Exodus 20:8]. God was able to lead by example, so that we may follow in his steps. He gave us a structure for how to work, rest and worship, all by his divine purpose of choosing 6 days to create the world and resting on the final day.
Additional Resources:
- http://www.everystudent.com/wires/sixdays.html
- https://answersingenesis.org/days-of-creation/why-did-god-take-six-days/