Afterwords -- week 43
"Lord, you have been our dwelling place in all generations. Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever you had formed the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God." (Psalm 90:1-2)
October 15, 2022
Dear friends,
This weekend is homecoming for the Hokie nation. I'll make no predictions of the game against Miami. But the weather is beautiful and many of the trees are sporting orange and maroon colors, and that should tell you something. The words at the top of this newsletter were written by Moses, some 3500 years ago. He is reflecting on the Godhood of God, and specifically, upon God's eternal existence (vv 1-2). He and his people were a long way from their homecoming.
THE ETERNAL GOD. The people of Israel are spending forty long years in wilderness travel before they will come to the promised land. There's plenty of time to ponder their sin and mortality (vv 3-11). Moses reflects on the eternality of God and how to make use of time in light of the timelessness of God. In verses 12 through 16, he gives us his applications from knowing God's eternal nature. Here are the lessons: 1) pursue wisdom in using the limited time and resources you have (v 12). 2) In your need look to the Lord for his mercy and compassion (v 13). 3) Seek to rejoice in the everlasting covenant love of God which will not pass away (v 14). 4) Ask God to show you the gladness which will one day eclipse all the sadness you experienced (v 15; Rev 21:4). 5) Pray that the Lord would be working in you (and your children) in a real way for his glory now (v 16). And 6) pray that in his kindness God would give lasting value to your work in this life (v 17).
THE LONG GAME. I would add a seventh application to the list above, also taken from Psalm 90 with a NT cross-reference: 7) take the long view and be patient with God's plan, because God is patient with you (v 4). The Apostle Peter echoes the truth of that verse when he writes, "But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day... The Lord is patient toward you..." (2 Peter 3:8-9) God is not in a big hurry like we usually are. It's easy to become impatient with the long road before us. Samuel James, a writer whom I follow, was reflecting on the recent birth of his third child and the parenting task that lay ahead. He wrote, "We are people of the long game. Human beings—and kingdom work—happen slowly." So it was in Moses' day, and in Peter's day, and in our day.
THE COLORS OF FALL. The passage of seasons in Virginia brings us a refreshing change of weather, along with the arrival of the colors of autumn. I love taking photos of fall foliage. Above is a bridge on the Huckleberry Trail near Merrimac where I walk. (If you like, you can see more of these on my Instagram account @bkyoung71.) And the photo below is a bowl made for us by our neighbor who is a woodworker. We had lost a Norway Maple and had to cut it down. She took some of the wood and made for us this beautiful bowl. When I thanked her, she wrote back about her [long] view on trees...
"You're very welcome, my love of woodwork and sustainability make the repurposing of a tree that has finished providing shade and wildlife habitat into a different useful item or two is quite satisfying. And when it breaks or is no longer serviceable can be tossed in a fire to warm the hands and it's ashes spread at the base of another tree."
SPEAKING OF COLORS. I have begun appreciating the art of endpapers. In a number of older books, I've noticed the marbled papers that connect the cover of the book to the front and back of the volume of text. These are called the book's endpapers. It was a way that printers and bookbinders could add an artistic touch to their work. You can read more about that here. And here's a gallery of endpapers to enjoy.
FINAL QUOTE. "God is not hurried along in the timestream of this universe any more than an author is hurried along in the imaginary time of his own novel." (C. S. Lewis)
That's it for week 43!
Sandy
Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are from The ESV Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version), copyright 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
