Victory Over Time: Resting in the Eternal God

“Remember the former things, those of long ago; I am God and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me. I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come. I say, ‘My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please.'”

Isaiah 46:9-10

Dear Friends,

Have you ever stopped to consider how captive humans are to time? Each one of us enters the world at a specific moment and leaves in just the same way. Just the other day my newest granddaughter made her grand entrance into our lives, and the nurse on duty recorded the exact time of her birth as 3:40 pm. Sweet Baby Scotlynn, like all of us, began her life journey on a certain day at a specific time. Throughout the years, she will move through a succession of moments that will tick off every day of her life here on earth.

Only the Eternal God is Not Bound by Time

This is the reality for all humans. We only have so many years, months, days, and minutes to try to accomplish our plans on earth. But there is One, and only One, Who is not bound by time. He, the eternal God, makes known the end from the beginning and His purposes will stand throughout eternity. It is He Who formed each of us in our mother’s womb and determined all the days of our lives. Yet we still scurry around trying to beat the clock and make our mark on the world. 

The Human Obsession With Time

This human obsession with time was demonstrated to me in a very tangible way this past week. Our auction company held a sale featuring a large collection of clocks. As I perused the many different timepieces filling our event center, I was struck by how many were quite old, testifying to the fact that, since the beginning of civilization, humans have been enslaved by time.

Over the years craftsmen have created all sorts of ways to keep us aware of each moment of the day. Some clocks are housed in beautiful cases that sit on fireplace mantles of our homes. Others stand tall and proud in prominent places chiming out each quarter of the hour. 

In the past people carried timepieces in a pocket secured by a gold chain or wore them pinned to the front of their dress. Now, we often wear a wristwatch or keep the digital time prominently displayed on our phone’s homescreen. In one way or another we seek to stay in step with the moments of our lives.

Yet, despite all our attention to time, we are powerless to control our situation or determine our final destiny. We will forever be limited by the ticking of the clock. 

The Eternal God

There is only One Who stands outside time: the eternal God. One commentator defined God’s eternity this way. “God has no beginning, end or succession of moments in His own being, and He sees all time equally vividly, yet God sees events in time and acts in time” (Grudem).

Time does not limit or change God. He is the One Who eternally exists with no beginning or end. To Him a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day (2 Peter 3:8). Nothing can thwart His plans – not even time – because He stands outside time. 

I find this truth incredibly comforting in a world where each of us is bound by a succession of moments between birth and death. We can’t hold back the days and none of us knows the moment when we will draw our last breath. Even this last week, we were reminded of the brevity of life when made aware of two terrible plane crashes that ended numerous lives unexpectedly. 

Most of the previous owners of the antique clocks we sold the other day have also passed away. They drew their last breath while their clocks continued ticking. No matter how fast they ran, or how hard they worked, they left things undone. That is because they, like us, were enslaved to time. 

Our Times are in God’s Hands

But thankfully, our times are in God’s hands. He knows the end from the beginning, and His purposes will always stand. He knew us before we were even formed in our mother’s womb and He knows when we will take our final breath. 

There is nothing that compares to the eternal God. What He declares, He brings about; what He has planned, He accomplishes. So, if you find yourself burdened by the constraints of time, remember who holds your future. He is in control. Worship Him!

Love,

Mama

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