Modern life trains us to see time as pressure: deadlines, clocks, and the fear of falling behind. Scripture trains us to see time as stewardship—something God owns, something we’ll answer for, and something He uses to shape us.

“To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven.” (Ecclesiastes 3:1, KJV)

If there is a time to every purpose, then your life is not random. Even the parts that feel slow, unclear, or “wasted” can be purposeful in the hands of God. The deeper question is not, “How do I make time work for me?” but “How do I submit my time to the Lord?”

Rosh Chodesh: the “head of the month”

Rosh Chodesh means “head of the month.” It marks the new moon and the start of a new biblical month. In the Torah, new moons were honored with trumpet blasts and offerings (Numbers 10:10). This is not because God is obsessed with dates. It is because God is Lord of time.

For Christians, Rosh Chodesh can become a monthly checkpoint for the soul: a reset that says, “Lord, my days are Yours.” Not to earn salvation, and not to play religious games, but to train the heart to live under God’s authority instead of the world’s pace.

“My times are in thy hand.” (Psalm 31:15, KJV)

When we begin to think this way, we stop treating delays as proof that God is absent. We start asking better questions: What is He forming? What is He protecting? What is He preparing? The Hebrew months teach that timing is not accidental. God builds a people with rhythm, memory, and spiritual maturity.

A simple Rosh Chodesh practice (10 minutes)

1. Look back: Where did God provide this month?
2. Look within: What fruit (or fear) showed up in me?
3. Look ahead: What is one obedient step for the next 30 days?
4. Pray: “My times are in thy hand.” (Psalm 31:15)

Hebrew Year 5786: Month-by-month (with start dates)

Each Hebrew month below includes: (1) the start date for 5786, and (2) a Christian reflection on what that month teaches about God’s timing, seasons, and spiritual formation. Remember: Hebrew days begin at sundown, so each month begins the evening before the date listed.

Month start dates (5786): Tishrei (Sept 23, 2025), Cheshvan (Oct 23, 2025), Kislev (Nov 21, 2025), Tevet (Dec 21, 2025), Shevat (Jan 19, 2026), Adar (Feb 18, 2026), Nisan (Mar 19, 2026), Iyyar (Apr 18, 2026), Sivan (May 17, 2026), Tammuz (Jun 16, 2026), Av (Jul 15, 2026), Elul (Aug 14, 2026).

Tishrei — Awe, repentance, and dwelling with God

Begins: 1 Tishrei = September 23, 2025

Tishrei is a doorway month. It carries a strong spiritual message: God calls His people to stop, examine, repent, and return. Even when the culture is loud, Tishrei teaches stillness. Even when the heart is defensive, Tishrei teaches honesty.

For Christians, this is the month that exposes the difference between regret and repentance. Regret says, “I feel bad.” Repentance says, “I turn.” The aim is not self-condemnation—it is restored closeness with God. If you have been living on spiritual fumes, Tishrei asks: what would it look like to dwell with the Lord again instead of visiting Him only in emergencies?

Cheshvan — Faithfulness in the “ordinary” month

Begins: 1 Cheshvan = October 23, 2025

Cheshvan is famous for its quiet. And that is exactly why it matters. Most of life is not dramatic. Most of life is meals, commutes, responsibilities, and the daily work of love. Cheshvan trains a Christian to stop chasing spiritual adrenaline.

If you only feel “close to God” when something big is happening, Cheshvan will challenge you. Real maturity looks like steady obedience when nobody claps. It looks like prayer that is not fueled by panic. It looks like doing the next right thing. If God is building your life, Cheshvan is where He pours the foundation.

Kislev — Light in darkness, dedication, and endurance

Begins: 1 Kislev = November 21, 2025

Kislev moves deeper into the darker stretch of the year. It carries themes of dedication and persistent light. In the Gospel of John, Jesus is in Jerusalem during the Feast of Dedication (John 10:22), a reminder that these calendar rhythms were part of His lived world.

Kislev speaks to believers who feel surrounded: by discouragement, grief, temptation, or long unanswered prayers. This month doesn’t promise instant relief. It teaches endurance. If you want “light,” Kislev says, don’t wait for a mood. Return to the Word. Return to worship. Dedication is not a personality trait—it is a decision made again and again.

Tevet — Winter pressure, holy resolve, and hidden strengthening

Begins: 1 Tevet = December 21, 2025

Tevet is deep winter. Many people feel it in their bodies and their emotions: tiredness, heaviness, impatience. But Tevet teaches a hard truth: God often strengthens you before He changes your circumstances.

If you keep praying, “Lord, change this,” Tevet asks, “What if God is building the kind of faith that can carry what comes next?” Not every delay is punishment. Sometimes it’s preparation. Sometimes it’s protection. Sometimes it’s God refusing to let you skip the lesson that will keep you free.

Shevat — Hidden renewal and the rise of sap

Begins: 1 Shevat = January 19, 2026

Shevat sits in the heart of Israel’s winter. On the surface, things can look dormant. But beneath the soil, life is moving. The sap begins to rise. Roots drink in what the eye cannot see. This is why Shevat is associated with Tu BiShvat, the “New Year of the Trees.”

For Christians, Shevat is for anyone in a “nothing is happening” season. Hidden does not mean absent. Quiet does not mean wasted. God grows roots before He shows fruit. If you feel buried, Shevat teaches you to ask: what is God strengthening underneath the surface so that you can carry future fruit without breaking?

Adar — Joy, reversal, and courage under pressure

Begins: 1 Adar = February 18, 2026

Adar is the month of Purim and the Esther story. The theme is not shallow happiness. It is courageous joy—the kind that refuses to bow to fear. Adar reminds the believer that God can flip the script: the day meant for destruction becomes deliverance.

Adar asks a pointed question: where have you gone silent to stay safe? Where have you assumed the enemy has the final word? For Christians who love Israel and love the Lord, Adar is a call to wise boldness—rooted in prayer, anchored in truth, and unashamed to stand with God’s purposes even when the crowd is loud.

Nisan — Redemption, deliverance, and new beginnings

Begins: 1 Nisan = March 19, 2026

Nisan is the month of Passover and Exodus—God stepping into history to free His people. For Christians, it naturally points to Jesus, the Lamb of God, who brings a deeper exodus: out of sin and slavery into freedom.

Nisan also teaches that redemption is not only forgiveness. It is formation. God does not only bring Israel out of Egypt; He teaches them how to live as people who belong to Him. If you’ve been rescued, Nisan asks: are you still thinking like a slave, or are you learning how to live like someone truly free?

Iyyar — The wilderness month: daily provision and growing trust

Begins: 1 Iyyar = April 18, 2026

Iyyar sits between redemption (Nisan) and revelation (Sivan). It often feels like wilderness: movement, adjustment, and learning dependence. This is where Israel learns manna—daily provision that cannot be stockpiled.

Christians need Iyyar because we love instant outcomes. God often works by process. If you’re in a season where He won’t give you the full plan, Iyyar teaches that daily reliance is not punishment; it is intimacy. It is the Lord training you to live by His voice, one day at a time.

Sivan — Covenant, revelation, and the gift of the Spirit

Begins: 1 Sivan = May 17, 2026

Sivan is the month of Shavuot, associated with the giving of the Torah. For Christians, this month strongly echoes Pentecost themes: God writing His law not merely on stone but on hearts, by the Holy Spirit.

Sivan confronts shallow faith. It asks: do I want God’s power, or do I want God’s presence? Do I want His blessings, or do I want His ways? Revelation is not only information. It is transformation. When God speaks, it is to shape a people who look like Him.

Tammuz — Watchfulness, temptation, and guarding the gates

Begins: 1 Tammuz = June 16, 2026

Tammuz moves into the heat of summer and carries themes of warning and vulnerability. Spiritually, it asks: where are my “gates” unguarded? What am I letting in through my eyes, my speech, my media, my anger, my cynicism?

Watchfulness is not the same as anxiety. The New Testament calls believers to sobriety. Drift is real. Compromise is subtle. Tammuz reminds us that holiness is not legalism—it is protection. A guarded life is not a small life. It is a protected one.

Av — Lament, grief, and hope that survives collapse

Begins: 1 Av = July 15, 2026

Av includes the season of mourning tied to catastrophe in Jewish history. It trains the heart in sacred grief—not performative, not shallow, not rushed. This month gives language for lament, intercession, repentance, and longing for restoration.

Christians sometimes skip lament and go straight to “it’s all going to be fine.” Av refuses that. It teaches you to bring real sorrow into God’s presence without losing faith. Some healing only comes when truth is spoken plainly. If you pray for Israel, Av is a month to pray with tears and still believe.

Elul — Preparation, return, and the kindness of conviction

Begins: 1 Elul = August 14, 2026

Elul is the month of preparation leading into the next cycle. It is spiritual house-cleaning. Not self-hatred—self-honesty. Elul is where you stop arguing with God about what He has already been pointing at.

Conviction is mercy. When the Holy Spirit exposes something, it is not to crush you—it is to free you. Elul invites you to return now, repair what can be repaired, forgive what must be forgiven, and make room for a clean start.

“Teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom.” (Psalm 90:12, KJV)

5786 Month Start Dates (quick list)

• Tishrei: Sept 23, 2025
• Cheshvan: Oct 23, 2025
• Kislev: Nov 21, 2025
• Tevet: Dec 21, 2025
• Shevat: Jan 19, 2026
• Adar: Feb 18, 2026
• Nisan: Mar 19, 2026
• Iyyar: Apr 18, 2026
• Sivan: May 17, 2026
• Tammuz: Jun 16, 2026
• Av: Jul 15, 2026
• Elul: Aug 14, 2026

Note:  Hebrew dates begin at sundown (so Rosh Chodesh begins the evening before).

Reflection questions: God’s timing and seasons

1. What season am I in right now—planting, pruning, waiting, harvesting—and how do I know?
2. Where have I mistaken “slow” for “no”?
3. What has God been growing in me privately that I keep demanding to see publicly?
4. What would it look like to be faithful in an “ordinary month” instead of living for emotional highs?
5. Where do I need courage more than comfort?
6. Where do I need an exodus—freedom from an old mindset, not only forgiveness?
7. If God won’t give me the full plan, what does daily trust look like this week?
8. Where do I need to be more watchful without becoming fearful?
9. What grief have I rushed past that still needs to be brought before God?
10. What is God inviting me to repair before the next “new beginning”?
11. If God’s timing is wise, what would it change about my anxiety this week?
12. Where do I need to actually live like this is true: “My times are in thy hand”?