The ancient Greeks had two words for time: chronos and kairos. While chronos is quantitative, kairos is qualitative. Chronos is about minutes; kairos is about moments. Chronos refers to clock time—time that can be measured in seconds, minutes, hours, and years. Kairos, however, refers to the right moment, the opportune moment, a defining moment, the fitting moment. Some biblical scholars even call it “God’s time.”

The Bible uses the word kairos and it appears 86 times in the New Testament. The word often carries the idea of an opportunity or a suitable time for an important action to take place.

Jesus said, “The time [kairos] has come. The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe in the good news” (Mark 1:15). Paul, knowing the urgency of the moment and the importance of the gospel, wrote: “I tell you, now is the time [kairos] of God’s favor, now is the day of salvation” (2 Corinthians 6:2). His emphasis is: now is the opportune time to repent and receive salvation.

Because kairos brings us divine opportunities, scholars often speak of “kairos moments.” Throughout Scripture, God works through such sacred moments: Noah built the ark when the world least expected it. Moses met God at the burning bush—an ordinary place but an extraordinary moment. Esther was placed in the palace “for such a time as this.”

Such moments came to people in the Old Testament rarely and only to a few. But in the coming of Jesus, the opportune time is always here. God’s invitation remains open.

Are you able to recognise the kairos moments in your life? As followers of Christ, we are called not only to count our days but to discern our moments. The world teaches us to fill our schedules; God teaches us to watch for His movements. Living in the kairos means: Being available when God prompts, Being courageous when faith demands, Being patient when God seems silent and things get delayed, Being hopeful when life grows heavy.

When we trust God’s kairos, our ordinary days become extraordinary opportunities. As we enter this Advent season, may I encourage you to be watchful for these kairos moments that God places before us every day. I wish you a blessed Advent filled with God’s opportune moments. God bless us all!