Living in Eternity

Living in Eternity

By Pastor John Dawson

So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom. Psalm 90:12

            We are all getting older. Some of us think about that more than others. Often the passing of time presses on our minds when there is an event, or a deadline coming up. These can be good events, or ones we dread. Think of the teen approaching the time when he can get a driver’s license. Or one who is so ready to be out of school and on to the things she has dreamed of doing. The couple awaits the day they will be husband and wife, or the time when their child will be born. And then there are the times when we wait for the phone call that we have been dreading. A loved one whose health has been failing has died. We have an extra awareness of the preciousness of each moment when we see that our own death is close.

            But most of the time, time passes without us paying much attention to it. One day is like the previous (unless there is something special planned). One of the reasons that I love the Lord’s Day it is that it is such a special day for me. I get to gather and worship the Lord with you, God’s people. Special Sundays call attention to special things, but for me, Sunday is always special for me. Perhaps that is a function of my calling as a minister of the gospel. There is special joy when we use the gifts that the Lord has given us to us. But most of the time, it is so easy to fail to keep the number of the day in mind. When that happens we miss filling the heart with the wisdom that the Lord has for us when we do this.

            How do we gain this wisdom? Psalm 90 begins its focus on the Lord who has been our dwelling place in all generations. The mountains seem constant and eternal, but they are not. Before they were, the Lord eternally is. Our time here hardly a breath compared to the mountains and seas. But the Lord knows us, loves us, and blesses us. We have our purpose here. And we will have purpose in eternity. We gain wisdom when we keep in mind both the brevity of our time here and God’s eternal purpose for our time here. How can we bring this to our minds?

            I’ve realized that the only time we have is the present moment. We can use that time thinking about past events. I often remember those times fondly. It is good to recall the joys gone by and be filled with that joy in remembrance. I cannot go back to the past but am considering the past in this moment. I may look forward to what I hope (or fear) will happen in the future, but I have to consider that in the present. There is no place where the past or future exists, except in our present awareness of it. And here is the point. We live in an eternal now. Even while we remember the past or plan for the future, we do so in the now and should be aware of the now. Be thankful for the now. Be aware that the eternal God is with you in the eternal now. God’s presence is with you now. His love is for you now. His plans for you are good now. This is the now that does not pass away. Time moves forward, but you are now and forever in the hands and heart of your loving heavenly Father.

            Being aware of the now is a popular topic. The current buzzword is mindfulness. It would lead to biblical wisdom if that mindfulness focused on awareness of the presence of God in life in that moment. I try to do this with conscious gratefulness. Is there something that is beautiful? Thank you, Lord. Are you viewing issues with some anxiety? Grant us mercy. Does a loved one come to mind? Give him your grace. These are prayers that tune the heart for communion with the Eternal One as you are in the eternal now. They will spring more readily from a heart that spends quiet time meditating on God’s word and communing with him in prayer. Such quiet time produces a quiet heart. Spend time with the Eternal One and you will learn how to fill your days with eternity. We do this and will see the favor of the Lord our God be upon us. He will establish the work of our hands upon us, because it will be his work which he planned for us.

May our God bless you as you carry his blessing with you in each moment.

Pastor John