No Reason to Rush (Just A Minute #118)
Hearken unto me, O Jacob and Israel, my called; I am he; I am the first, I also am the last. . . . For ye shall not go out with haste, nor go by flight: for the LORD will go before you; and the God of Israel will be your rereward. . . . I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty. (Isaiah 48:12, 52:12; Rev. 1:8)
There would be no frantic race back to Israel.
The Israelites would return from the Babylonian captivity without fear. In stark contrast to their departure from Egypt 900 years earlier, this exodus would be peaceful. Back then, with the thunderous pounding of Pharoah’s chariot horses getting louder by the minute, their freedom celebrations quickly turned into shrieks of hysteria. In spite of their doubts, God had opened the sea ahead of them and blocked the Egyptians behind them.
This time things were to be different, and with a particular divine attribute being emphasized.
Nine centuries later, on this second trip back to their Promised Land, they were to have learned an important truth about God. This spiritual fact was to affect their entire attitude, giving them reason to actually enjoy the trip and relax! The Almighty Lord who accompanied them was Jehovah, whose very name meant “Eternal One”. He would simultaneously go in front of them and behind them!
As odd as this statement sounds, it is extremely significant.
Like with any other revelation God makes of Himself, there is always a rational response for me to understand and adopt. In this matter of His eternality, He does not publish it to shame me, or to gleefully boast about His infinitely superior attributes.
He wants me to think about its implications and the awesome quality of peace it delivers.
The truth that He is Alpha and Omega is to be a strong tranquilizer for every Christian willing to believe it. Notice the inescapable logic built into the phrase. Nothing can surprise our God. No circumstance will ever beat Him to the future because He is already there. Nor can He ever forget anything in the past because He never left it.
Yes, He lives in the introduction and the conclusion of our story, before it is written! He is the first and last letter of every chapter in your life, before you die! He is on the front and back cover of my book, before anyone can even read it!
Is that mindboggling? Of course it is. But we can accept it by faith because He has planted the seed of eternity in our human hearts.
Now, think about the practical results that should spawn in my mind. If God is before and after me, what reason is there to scurry around in a frenzy? Does it make any sense to worry about what is around the next corner when my Lord is already there? Will it help anything at all if I am running back and forth as if all depends on me?
There is no reason to fret. There is no reason to worry. There is no reason to rush. The Lord Jesus knew this doctrine well. Not surprisingly, we never catch the slightest hint of hurry in His life.
Dear Father, how often I dishonor You by dashing around, as if everything hinges on what I get done or how quickly I finish. Help me slow down, relax, and rest in Your everlasting arms. Amen.
Andy