Last night out AWANA children were led through the Lord’s prayer. When we came to the end, they were asked what “forever and ever” meant.
Their answer was quite simple – time never ends.
Simplicity is great, especially from children. Until you try to picture what that means.
I’ve been trying.
Longer than my dad’s life span – who lived to 91 (almost). I watched him for almost six decades of my life. He seemed always to have an endless quality about him.
His last days were more than a little disconcerting to me. The thought became very real – he would not live forever.
I read the Bible through quite regularly. I’ve tried to think through the ages of those early saints (and some quite obvious sinners!). As I’ve wrapped my head around a few millenia, forever seems like at least that long. If I could record every day and year, my mind begins to lose count while I trudge through the era of Moses or David or Noah.
Then I read Genesis 1. And the millenia continue to tumble past my brain cells. I’m almost comfortable with the age of this earth as being forever.
Until I get to the part where it says, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” OK, at that point I put a stake down in my timeline.
And realize that God started before that. You ask the AWANA kids how old God is – there answer is again quite simple. “He never was not.”
Now forever just reached past the horizon of my mind.
I haven’t even tried to go the other way, into the future!
From beginning to end, God is. He started with ultimate power, He is in charge of everything, and He sets the standard for all that is good, right, just, pure, compassionate, giving, . . .
“For Yours is the kingdom, the power and the glory, forever and ever!”