Ancient of Days

"'I, even I, am the LORD,

and apart from me there is no savior.

I have revealed and saved and proclaimed--

I, and not some foreign god among you.

You are my witnesses,' declares the LORD, 

'that I am God.  Yes, and from ancient days I am he.

No one can deliver out of my hand.

When I act, who can reverse it?'"

Isaiah 43:11-13

The world is changing.  Governments are crumbling.  Once-powerful nations are losing their might.  People are suffering.  Children are dying from lack of clean water and sufficient food.  Wars are raging.  Natural disasters are destroying.  The world is descending into darkness.

If all the bad news I hear and read about each day were the whole story, I would be without hope. Thankfully, the Ancient of Days is on the throne!  Despite the appearance that the world is tail spinning out of control, there is One who reigns supreme.  He holds each of our lives in the palm of His hand, and He has a plan.  I can trust that His will is going to come to pass.  This is His world and He has not lost the authority or dominion, regardless of how it seems.

Everlasting  

I remember reading Charlie and the Chocolate Factory as a child.  I was intrigued by the idea of he Everlasting Gobstopper which, according to Willie Wonka, was indestructible and made for children with very little money in their pocket.  The candy could never be finished, and even resisted growing smaller: it was everlasting.

Even though this fictional candy does not exist in the form described in the book, there is One who is never diminished and who has no beginning nor end.  Moses prayed, "Lord, you have been our dwelling place throughout all generations.  Before the mountains were born or you brought forth the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God."  (Psalm 90:1-2)

In a world where everything is changing, it's good to know that God stays the same. As Lincoln Brewster sings in Everlasting God, "Strength will rise as we wait upon the Lord."  As you listen to the words, spend some time meditating on how the everlasting qualities of God affect the way you live your life as His child.  I can trust Him, depend on Him, lean on Him and He will comfort me, strengthen me, protect me, and defend me.   Always.  

Even though everything around me seems to be crumbling, God has always reigned, and will always reign, now and forevermore!

Able to Save

I remember hearing the story of a girl who was unable to save her sister from drowning in a lake.  Her failure weighed upon her throughout her life and kept her living in the past, unable to move beyond this horrible tragedy.  She held herself accountable for her sister's death even though everyone around her told her it was not her fault.  She couldn't get over the fact that she was unable to save her beloved.

Looking in from the outside, it is absurd for a mere human to put that much pressure on themselves.  There is only so much one can do, but it is easy to feel responsible for the health and well being of those I love.  This, however, is not a part of my job description.  I am not called to save anyone.  That is God's job!  He is the only one who is able to save.

The people of Israel knew this firsthand as they walked out of Egypt, free of the oppressive hand of the cruel Pharaoh who had enslaved them for so many years.  When God told them to prepare for departure by killing an unblemished lamb and spreading the blood on their doorposts, they had no idea the plan that God was putting into motion.  That night, the Angel of Death came to the land of Egypt.  All those who had the protective covering of the blood of the lamb were passed over, but those whose doorways were clean and unprotected experienced the wrath of God in the loss of their firstborns.  

Cries of mourning pierced the air that day as the Israelites walked out of Egypt, finally free.  Hundreds of years later, another Lamb, this One perfect, shed His blood as a protective covering  from the wrath of God for all those who receive it. 


If God is able to reconcile me, a sinful woman to Him, a holy God, surely God is able to save in other ways, as well.  He can save me from the deep pit of depression from where no man can climb out and save himself.  He can rescue me from the pain of past hurts from where no amount of human counseling can release me.  He can resuscitate a marriage, dead and buried, from beyond where no amount of effort can bring it back to life.  God is able to save.


God said through the prophet Isaiah, "Turn to me and be saved, all you ends of the earth; for I am God, and there is no other."  (Isaiah 45:22)


 Even though everything around me seems to be at risk, God is able to save from His wrath as well as from present troubles.  

Irreversible

I've heard the words many times, spoken at the end of a wedding ceremony, " . . .what God has joined together, let man not separate."  (Matthew 19:6)  It is decreed with the authority of God and with reverence for Him.  What God creates is permanent, meant to last and irreversible.  

How unlike our present age where anything can be undone, from crimes committed, surgeries performed to damage done.  If one has enough money, power and resolve, almost any action can be reversed.

I must be very careful not to let this mentality creep into my perception of the LORD.  His plan is, ". . . determined for the whole world; this is the hand stretched over all nations.  For the LORD Almighty has purposed, and who can thwart him?  His hand is stretched out, and who can turn it back?" (Isaiah 14:26-27) No matter how good one may be at persuading others to go along with their plan, God can never be swayed.  His plan stands firm, and anyone who fights against Him will lose.

I don't usually think of myself as one who is struggling against God, but when I insist on knowing the who, what, when, where and why before I will follow Him, I am.  If I stubbornly continue in an area of addiction, whether it be to drugs, alcohol, cigarettes, shopping, exercise, eating, or even scrabooking, I am making that activity more important than God and defying His commandments.  If I think I don't fight against God but fail to give Him my full attention, I am fooling myself.  There are many ways to resist God, and every one of them will put me on the losing team.  

Even though I live in a fast-food, temporary, throw-away society, I can choose to follow the permanent, irreversible God.  The One who values all human life and protects it at all cost; the One who stands firm for what is right even when all those around are caving to popular opinion; the One who joins a man and a woman together and gives them the grace and love to make it last forever.  This is the God I choose to follow.

Even though everything around me seems to be decaying, I can purposefully follow the One who is irreversible.

The world in which I live is fallen.  Thus, there is much about which to feel dismayed.  But I can be thankful that the Ancient of Days lasts forever, can salvage the seemingly hopeless and is permanent in nature.  My God is on the throne!

As I begin this day it is my prayer that I will remember that God reigns.  Nothing can overpower Him or dethrone Him.

How do I live my life as if everything were temporary?

When do I feel helpless and without hope when I worship a God who is able to save me?

.   

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?