In Isaiah 46:9-10 God says “from I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me, declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things not yet done,”.
“He sees the end and the beginning in one view, while time is known to us by a succession of events. It is the way we account for consecutive changes in the universe. We wait for the sun to move from the east to west or for the hour hand to move around the face of the clock, but God is not compelled the same way to wait. For Him everything that will happen has already happened.” (A. W. Tozer)
In Psalm 90 Moses celebrates the eternity of God. He speaks about two practical meaning: first, since God is eternal, He can be and continues to be forever the one safe home for His children. “Lord, you have been our dwelling place in all generations.” Psalm 90:1
The second thought is that God’s eternity is so long and our years on earth are so few, that he asks God to teach us to number our days and establish the work of our hands. ( Psalm 90:17)
We who live in this nervous age would be wise to do the same. In times like this, when we are in fear and in uncertainty we meditate on our lives and seek God to establish the work of our hands. One of the tragedies of mankind is to be made for eternity but forced to live in time. Everything around us (including COVID19) reminds us of our mortality and change. Inside all of us God whispers the everlasting hope; somewhere he will continue to exist. Still most of the time we can’t rejoice in this truth, because we are faced with the evidences of our guilt and the evidences of coming death.
BUT Jesus Christ…has abolished death, brought life and immortality to light through the gospel. Through Jesus’ death, God’s eternity and man’s mortality joined to persuade us that faith in Jesus is not optional. For every man and woman, it must be Christ or eternal tragedy.
I want to encourage you with a couple of things this week: remember the good news of Jesus Christ and the eternal hope you have in Him. Remember his death and resurrection that gives you that hope!
Second, don’t waste the time you have. We always complain we don’t have time to spend with family, or to do this or that. Ask God to establish the work of your hands. Use this time for good. Follow up (via email or text or call) people you didn’t have time to catch up with. Connect and use what you have. Spend time in God’s Word and spend time to worship Him. How often will you get so much time to do things like this? Soon things will go back to normal, and we want to look back at this time as a blessing. A blessing of time – that we have so little of.
So teach us to number our days
that we may get a heart of wisdom.
13 Return, O Lord! How long?
Have pity on your servants!
14 Satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love,
that we may rejoice and be glad all our days.
15 Make us glad for as many days as you have afflicted us,
and for as many years as we have seen evil.
16 Let your work be shown to your servants,
and your glorious power to their children.
17 Let the favor[d] of the Lord our God be upon us,
and establish the work of our hands upon us;
yes, establish the work of our hands!
Psalm 90: 12-17
Krisztina White