I love when I’m reading my Bible not expecting to “get” much and then God shows me something new. It’s something I may have already known, but he shares it in a new way or I’m in a new season and I see it more clearly. Well that happened again the other day, I was reading through the book of Ecclesiastes and verse 3:15 stuck out to me:
Whatever is, has already been, and whatever will be already is.
Who doesn’t struggle to trust God sometimes, especially when we have unknowns in our life, someone we love is struggling, or we are experiencing fear or pain? It amazes me how I can trust God completely with 85% of my life and live in fear or paralysis for the other 15% as if I’m an atheist with no trust at all.
Whatever is, has already been, and whatever will be already is.
Nothing is new to God. No circumstance, situation or crisis.
He lives outside of time. Now that’s something to wrap your head around. All of life’s events already “are” to him. Already were. Already is. That’s why the cross covers everything; from the beginning of time till its end. God exists outside of time and for that I am so very grateful.
As people, we; unlike God, are following a timeline blindly. Each generation wrestles with sin’s temptation as well as its consequence.
He created time for us. It allows for seasons and rhythms of work & rest. Unfortunately, because of the sin virus among us, our gift of time often gets hi-jacked and it becomes more of a curse than a blessing. Before sin there was just a beginning. Now, there is also an end. With that end comes stress, unknowns, pain, fear and deadlines.
If you will let me, I’d like to share what I wrote in my journal. It was a conversation I had with God about Him being outside of time.
That is why you call yourself the great I AM. You are over ALL things, ALL of the time. Our children are seen by you…their whole lives are already seen by you, not only known to you, but already lived. The same is true for my life.
God help me.
Help me to trust you explicitly; with my marriage, kids, friendships, times of isolation, the day to day living, my use in the Kingdom, my pain, sadness, frustration, circumstances…especially the circumstances that make absolutely no sense.
Fear comes from thinking about the future void of God; when the truth is, God has already been there AND He promises to go through it with us in real time. Life is full of so much uncertainty. It can be quite overwhelming and revealing as to just how ill-equipped we are to deal with it on our own. I love the famous quote by Ralph Abernathy that says, “I don’t know what the future may hold, but I know who holds the future.”
If we say we “know him,” but do not purpose to pursue Him, are we not making room then for unnecessary anxiety and fear? Who needs more of that?
A long time ago when I was getting my graduate degree in Texas, I felt strongly that I was to start dating Jesus. And, I was to do it with the same fervor and attention that I was giving to wanting to be in a dating relationship. And I’ll be honest, that was a constant thought, focus and concern for me at that time. God’s request forced the question – What does it look like to “date Jesus?” I learned it is an answer that is best defined by Him. I needed to have a heart that put Him first and trust that He would take care of the rest.
Seek first the Kingdom of God & His righteousness and THEN all these things (whatever I am putting before Him) will be provided for you. Matthew 6:33-34
It is in getting to know Him that we get to trust Him with what is unknown.
In the Meanwhile…
Our role in the meanwhiles of life is definitely not to play the worrier, rather it is to choose to continue to get to know the One we say we already know. We need to purpose to pursue our Father God, to start dating Jesus and chose to continually surrender to His Spirit.
After all these years together with Jesus, I still need to be reminded to seek Him first. In this season of raising a family, growing in a marriage, navigating friendships and serving in His Kingdom, I pray He will continue to show me what it means to date Him. May I never get tired of getting to know Him and may I always remember – that from His perspective – whatever is, has already been, and whatever will be already is. He is trustworthy.
I love God’s creation of “seasons and rhythms of work & rest. ” I must be a spiritual a-fib patien, because worry arrhythmia can interrupt my season of trust and show my lack of resting in Him. I heard a pastor recently say, “Worry is imagining your future without God in it.” Thanks for the reminder that trusting Him with what is unknown is what brings the best rest.
True for all of us I’m afraid. How quickly we can get our eyes off Him and start to sink beneath the waves.
Geri, God used your writing in such a timely way right now. I came upon it as I scrolled through Facebook, fear and anxiety holding my heart as I see pictures of my dear friends in seasons of life where I long to be – husbands, families, children – but are no where in sight for me right now. Thank you for this much needed reminder to keep God first in my line of vision and thank you for sharing how your pursuit of him strengthened in your single years and continues today. So encouraging!
Oh Ashley, hang in there and trust Him. He is the master coordinator. I still, in the midst of living out what I always wanted, had to trust Him for what I still desire to have.