Forever

Transitions can be good but hard. I remember going to the funerals of my grandparents. I sobbed through the services. They had shown me nothing but unconditional love—and now they were gone.

Whether they are happy or sad, we are all familiar with the inevitable transitions of life. Many philosophies and religions grapple with impermanence. Many atheists believe that the brevity of life is what makes it sweet and meaningful.

The point is that we all grapple with the uncertainty and finitude of life.

**Our God offers us a different experience. God is eternal and unchanging.** As we read in Hebrews 13:8, "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever."

Perhaps the most poignant discussion of our transience and God's eternal care is in Psalm 90. Moses writes:

*"Lord, you have been our refuge in every generation. Before the mountains were born, before you gave birth to the earth and the world, from eternity to eternity, you are God... For in your sight a thousand years are like yesterday that passes by."*

Moses is keenly aware that God is the Creator and Author of life. He ends his prayer by asking: "Teach us to number our days carefully so that we may develop wisdom in our hearts... establish for us the work of our hands!"

What will your life amount to? Do you remember the names of your great-great-grandparents? We are here, then we are gone. So what?

Moses pled that God would establish the work of his hands. Was God faithful? Yes! Hebrews 13:8 tells us that Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.

**Knowing that we serve an eternal God, and that we are participating in his mission to restore the world to wholeness, gives us a reason to be confident that our lives matter.**

By God's gracious invitation, we are participating in work that will last forever.