Bible Reading Blog
“From Everlasting to Everlasting”
Categories: Congregational Bible ReadingBIBLE READING: Psalm 90 – A Song of Moses
“Lord, you have been our dwelling place in all generations… from everlasting to everlasting you are God” (Psalm 90.1-2)
Ramses II definitively led the Egyptian empire to world dominance with military conquests and elaborate engineering projects. Sennacherib notoriously taunted nations as the Assyrian army pummeled its way to world power. Nebuchadnezzar II overran the Assyrians and conquered most of the known world, catapulting the Babylonians to world dominance.
In their times, these men and nations were feared and followed… but where are they now? They are simply a character of the past because their time is over. History shows that even the most imposing nations have failed to sustain their power. But while nations and leaders have come and gone, YHWH has always been God.
You can change the person and title, but in every generation, God is present and powerful. It is significant that Scripture offer glimpses of these men in their greatness, in relation to God; and the outcome is consistent: God dominates and persists (for example Exodus 10; 2 Chronicles 32; Daniel 4.28-37)
It is God’s enduring power in which Moses finds both comfort and great fear. God is personal (Psalm 90.1, 13) and powerful (Psalm 90.5) but also punitive (Psalm 90.7-8). Unlike earthly leaders, who rely on support for their efforts, God will make his will be done (Psalm 90.11).
In his time and his ways, he determines the existence of the earth and all things in it (Psalm 90.3-4). All are at his eternal mercy (Psalm 90.9). We may fixate on the power of those in immediate view, but just as every other “great” nation and leader, they are limited by time, space and ability.
On this day, we see another world power flexing its muscles. Our attention is drawn to who will take over one of the most powerful offices in the world. As believers in God our vision must be clear. The outcome of this election will affect out immediate future, but it will be nothing more than a paragraph in the annals of history. However, it will, as with every other time in history, fall under the purpose and plans of God. Whether we perceive the outcome as good or bad, it is in God’s hands. And so, we must treat it as such in light of the One we trust with our eternal future.
We are at his mercy as we trust him to provide and protect us (Psalm 90.15). He will because God is faithful to his people. So, let us not take for granted the greatness and consistency of God to satisfy, sustain and support those who trust him. From everlasting to everlasting, he is God.
“Let your work be shown to your servants, and your glorious power to their children. Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us, and establish the work of our hands upon us; yes, establish the work of our hands!” (Psalm 90.17)
