“The Lord reigns, he is robed in majesty;
the Lord is robed in majesty and armed with strength;
indeed, the world is established, firm and secure.
Your throne was established long ago;
you are from all eternity.“
Psalm 93:1-2
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This week, we begin a new series considering different aspects of God’s character. Today we begin at the beginning—or rather, the fact that when it comes to God, there is no beginning. God is infinite.
In today’s text, the Psalmist considers Yahweh’s reign. We’re invited to imagine symbols of glory, majesty, sovereignty, and strength; a throne established long ago.
Long ago. That’s a mild way to put it!
The fact of the matter is, each of us has such short and fleeting years. We can read history, we can speculate about the future, but all that we know or experience is right now. We cannot peek back all the way to the beginning, nor all the way to the end. We are limited to this, to now, to time, to our short years. That’s where we are in this story. That’s the only place we can be in the story.
And that is why this is God’s story, as we’ve seen in the previous series. We cannot see from beginning to end. We cannot grasp infinity. Even if in our pride, hubris, and anxiety we decide to make it our story, we will end—and suddenly. Only God will continue.
As the Teacher in Ecclesiastes says:
“He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end.” 3:11b
I wonder if God set eternity in our hearts so that we would strain to see Him, so that we would keep searching for Him, the One who is eternity. So that we would say with the author of 1 Timothy:
“Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory for ever and ever. Amen.” 1:17
Questions for reflection and discussion:
- What do you make of words like “infinite” and “eternity”?
- Do they inspire you or make you anxious…or something else?
- What part do you and I play in eternity, and what part does God play?
Church Reading Plan: Isaiah 28; 2 John 1