God's Perspective

"Before the mountains were born,

before you gave birth to the earth and the world,

from the beginning to end,

you are God."

Psalm 90:2 NLT

Moses prayed to the God who always has been and always will be.  He pointed out that time loses its impact in the face of such eternity.  He also noticed that in the scheme of things, the life of man is fleeting, as a passing thought to God, like the life cycle of a blade of grass which is here today, gone tomorrow.  Moses also understood that the sin I try so hard to hide is perfectly apparent to God.  

What do these truths mean for me and the way I live my life?

Stress.  I see the second hand ticking by and compare what's left of the day to my list of things-to-do.  I ponder the time wasted in waiting and feel my blood-pressure rise.  Anxiety is forming like a tight ball in the pit of my stomach as I think of what little time I have left.

If God is not concerned with the matter of time-how long something takes or how long I must wait-why should I?  To Him who is perfectly in control at every moment of time, no matter how out-of-control I feel or how crazy life gets, it doesn't matter how much time passes by.  His plan is firmly in place.  With such a God as this at the helm of the ship of my life, I can keep my eyes trained on His masterful leadership and my thoughts focused on His amazing management of all things.

God is not concerned with the passing of time, so, as His child, the stress I experience in a clock-oriented world is none of my concern.

Cherish.  "Why do today what I can put off until tomorrow?"  I chuckle to myself as I repeat the mantra of the procrastinator.  I've come to realize that instead of assuming there will be another day, tomorrow is never promised and every moment is a gift that is meant to be cherished.  If God gave it to me, then there is good to be found in each passing tick of the clock.  

With the recent passing of two stalwart women of God who meant much to me and were still in the prime of their lives, I've come face-to-face with the reality that life here on earth is not as long as I think it is.  Add to this sobering awareness the fact that my father is on the slow decline of dementia, sometimes called "the long goodbye," and you can see that I am even more in touch with the precious nature of every minute I've been given.

Therefore, I am learning to be more intentional with how I spend my gift of time.  It is important that I live in the moment, being all there instead of always racing ahead to what is to come, what's next on the list, or how I'm going to handle this afternoon's challenges.  I'm growing in my faith as I take each minute as a gift meant to be treasured, putting into practice Jim Elliot's advice; "Wherever you are, be all there!"  

God has given me this moment in time with the hope that I would cherish it as the gift it is.

Authentic.  I ignore the enormous problem, the way I cope with life apart from God, all the hurts I wear like a comfortable sweater.  I pretend everything is okay even though the tears are always there, just under the surface.  I feel fragile as I attempt to negotiate my days, refusing Jesus' offer to take my burdens and nail them to the cross where they will lose their power.  Instead of letting Jesus make me whole, I try to fix myself in the only way I know how.

While I may fool others into thinking I'm A-okay, God knows my problems.  He sees the sin I try to cloak in busyness, selfless service and surface conversations.  If only I would know how secure I am in His hands, close to His breast as His well-loved child, I would cease trying to muddle through alone.  If I could grasp how vast is His love, I would run to Him with open arms, allowing Him access to every deep and shameful part of me.  He already knows and loves me deeply.  He just wants me to willingly admit to my need for Him and my utter failure at living life my way.

Since God knows my sin, seeing everything I try to hide yet loving me wholly, I can trust Him with my deepest secret failings.

From God's perspective, things look different.  Since He is eternal and time means nothing, life is fleeting, and my sin is not as hidden as I think it is, I can begin to live my life differently than I always have.  I can cope with stress in the shadow of the Almighty where it loses it's power, cherish every moment as a gift, and live openly and authentically before Him.  From God's viewpoint, way up high, my issues and problems don't look quite as big.  To Him, all things are under control.  

As I begin this day it is my prayer that I can cherish each moment, being all there.

How do I pretend before a God who calls my bluff every time?

When do I let the stresses of life dictate my mood, forgetting that God is never worried?  

Everlasting God

"Lord, you have been our dwelling place
   throughout all generations.
Before the mountains were born
   or you brought forth the whole world,
   from everlasting to everlasting you are God."

Psalm 90:1-2

Christmas Decoration  The wreath hangs on my door every year at this time, heralding the birth of a Savior who came to earth over 2000 years ago.  It's gold encrusted crimson ribbon winds elegantly around the inner rim, ending in a bow placed at the top, slightly off center.  Tiny colorful birds sing the praises of our God and King as they peak out shyly from the evergreen needles. 

Everlasting  Wreaths are probably one of the most popular trimmings Americans use to decorate their homes for the Christmas season.  But the wreath is more than a decoration.  As an unbroken, continuous circle, it symbolizes the everlasting nature of God.  

No Beginning  The birth of a baby is one of the most joyous of all events in a couple's life together.  There is something so sacred and beautiful in ushering a new life into the world.  I remember as a child growing up on a small farm witnessing the birth of calves and marveling at the perfectly formed hooves and big round eyes framed irresistibly with long feathery eyelashes.  I could watch the babies forever as they seemed to know exactly what to do from the moment they left the mother's womb.  Everything I am familiar with has a beginning.  This is why the concept of God's eternal nature is so difficult to grasp.  God has always existed. . . there is no beginning to the entity of God.  John 1 begins with the description of God the Son identified as the Word.  "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  He was with God in the beginning.  Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made."  Time is part of God's creation.  Everything that is created has a beginning, but the One who did the creating has always been.

No End  There's an old English proverb that says, "All good things must come to an end."  Anyone who has enjoyed  a good time with friends, a restful vacation or an enjoyable visit with family can attest to the truth of that saying.  But God, being outside of time, never comes to an end.  “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.” (Revelation 1:8)  As a young child learning the concept of infinity as it relates to numbers, I remember standing out in my backyard staring up into the bright blue sky and trying to imagine counting and counting, but never reaching the end.  It hurt my brain. 

Trustworthy  So what does this mean to me?  How can it change the way I live my life? No matter how uncertain the future is in our eyes, God will remain as the Everlasting Father.  I can count on the One who has always existed and will never die.  Everything else I might put my trust in; my husband, my bank account, my intellect, my health. . . they will each come to an end at some point.  It is a risky investment to put all my trust into any one of these people or things.  Trusting in God, on the other hand, is a sound investment because He is not constrained by time or limited in power.

As I begin this day, my prayer is that I will put all of my hope in the One who will never let me down.

How does knowing that God has no beginning or end change my concept of Him?

As a being with a beginning and an end who lives in a world filled with the temporary and limited, where am I putting my full trust?

Soaring

The LORD is the everlasting God,
   the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He will not grow tired or weary,
   and his understanding no one can fathom. 

 He gives strength to the weary
   and increases the power of the weak.
Even youths grow tired and weary,
   and young men stumble and fall;

but those who hope in the LORD
   will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
   they will run and not grow weary,
   they will walk and not be faint.

Isaiah 40:28-30

The wind whistles through my ears and blows several strands of hair into my face, distracting me from my mission.  I readjust my grip, sending tiny pebbles and dust falling into my eyes.  I don't know if I can hold on any longer.  Drops of sweat form on my forehead and my heart beats faster as I feel my fingers slip from their place on the cold, hard stone.  I'm losing my grip . . .

In  life, I sometimes feel like I'm barely holding onto the edge of a cliff, dangling thousands of feet in the air making every effort to keep from falling.  If only I can hold on for just another day, I think, then I know things will get better.  That's when the truth of Isaiah 40 is most needed.  My God does not grow weary and He will give me strength if I only give Him a chance.  Who is this God that I should put my faith in Him?

My Creator  The One True God is the One who created me along with everything in this world. He knows me intimately because, "(His) hands made me and formed me."  (Psalm 119:73)  When I was growing up, my dad built our house, garage and barn.  Since he placed every beam and floor joist, he knew the strengths and weaknesses of our home better than anyone else.  This is how God is with me.  I can trust Him because He made me!

Everlasting  The Lord our God has no beginning or end.  He is not bound by time as we are.  As Moses prayed to God,"Before the mountains were born or you brought forth the whole world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God." (Psalm 90:2)  This is a God who I can count on because He is a God ". . .who is, and who was, and who is to come." (Revelation 1:8)  I can trust Him because He will always be there!

Understanding  There are so many times when I feel like no one understands me.  I try to explain my point of view, or describe what is happening in my heart, but words cannot adequately describe my thoughts and feelings.  God, however, knows and understands!  David expressed God's intimate understanding of me in one of my favorite Psalms. 

"O Lord, you have examined my heart and know everything about me.

You know when I sit down or stand up.  

You know my thoughts even when I’m far away.

You see me when I travel and when I rest at home. 

You know everything I do.

You know what I am going to say even before I say it, Lord."

(Psalm 139:1-4, NLT)

I can trust Him because He fully understands me.

Fall  When I feel I cannot hold on any longer, I need to let go and fall into the arms of the One who created me, who will always be there to catch me, and who intimately knows and understands me.  He will not let me fall.  In fact, in His arms. . . I will soar!

As I begin this day, it is my prayer that I will stop trying to hold on, and let my God carry me.

Where am I refusing to let God in?

How am I holding myself and others back by trying to do things myself, instead of letting God?