We Come & Go, But God Is Forever Here
Word-Of-The-Day: ‘(26) They will perish, but You <God> remain; they will all wear out like a garment. Like clothing You will change them and they will be discarded. (27) But You remain the same, and Your years will never end.’ (Psalm 102:26-27)
The recent news of former President Jimmy Carter’s passing likely did not surprise anyone; he turned 100-years-old, making him the longest-living President in history and was in hospice for over a year. Whether one agrees with his policies or lauds his achievements, during his Presidential term or afterwards, his efforts should be respected and considered.
Carter was, of course, wasn’t the only person to pass away during this past holiday season. Our church family mourns the loss of several of our congregants, who we loved (and still and always will love) and will miss them when we walk into church. While Carter was more notable on the national stage, this does not discount those in our immediate fellowship who were closer and more notable to us for their contributions in serving the Lord and performing in their line of work.
Whether natural or tragic, part of life is death. Statistics have proven, save for two people (Enoch and Elijah), 100% of us will at some point pass away. Eventually, survivability of any person will dwindle to a chance of zero. We don’t like to admit this and we want – and should want – to hold onto our lives, and for our loved ones and friends to hold onto their lives, as long as possible. As much as we want to hold on, however, eventually we fade away.
Psalm 102 is a prayer of lamentation, directed to God for relief from affliction. But as with many Psalms, it is also praising God for being consistent in all things. It is sad to see people who we’ve known of, even if we never met them in person, pass away, retire or fade into obscurity. However, this is life. As in Ecclesiastes, there is a season for all things and for all of us we see these events unfolding all the time. There is a time for the flower to be planted, for it to go full bloom, and then for it to wither away. The same goes for us humans; we have our time to rise before we fade away.
But the Psalmist (likely David in this case) provides that while this is sad from the mortal perspective, the Spiritual perspective is that God is still the same and is still in control in the generations of people who have come and gone. We will wear out like our favorite pair of pants or our favorite pair of socks, but life doesn’t stop; we put on a new pair of pants and socks. God does the same!
Isaiah, Peter, Paul, Martin Luther, D.L. Moody, and Billy Graham have come and gone, all great men of God who preached His word, but God remains and will have someone to replace them. If God decides to save the United States, He will raise someone to lead us back; if we need entertained, another will come who will have that unique voice to boom out the tunes. The people may come and go, but God is timeless and is forever.
The Good News is, of course, our God has given us – everyone – Eternal Life, beyond our mortality. We may die a physical death, but no one dies a spiritual death. The question is, though, where will one spend Eternity? There are only two options, driven by the choice one makes in their mortal life; accepting Jesus as our Savior and Lord and gaining a spiritual life with Him for eternity, or rejecting Christ and gaining a spiritual life separated from Him for eternity. One choice is peace and glory, the other is torment and suffering – forever. No matter what one does or accomplishes, this one choice decides our eternity. Which one will you choose?
Mourn for the Carter family’s loss, and those close to us who we lost, but know that God is in control and that His plans are perpetual and will continue to go on, forever and ever!
