Eternal | Daily Devotional
“Before the mountains were brought forth,
or ever you had formed the earth and the world,
from everlasting to everlasting you are God.”
Psalm 90:2
While time clicks by for us, God is untethered to it. As the all-powerful God, He is infinite. Limitless. God cannot be restricted in any manner in displaying His attributes. God, therefore, must exist eternally. The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are, have always been, and always will be (Rev 4.8).
A Fixed Point in Eternal God
Years ago, before GPS, the Navy trained Heather and me to navigate aircraft across the oceans using celestial navigation. Yep, just like Magellan, we navigated using observed stars and lots of math. The foundation of celestial navigation is assuming all stars are the same distance from the Earth. While astronomers tell us differently, the distances are so huge that they are all practically an infinite distance away. The stars become fixed points from which we can measure angles to calculate a position.
A fixed point gives us assurance of our place over a vast desert of featureless ocean. It not only tells us where we are, but also which direction to find safety.
I AM Is Our Path To Safety
In the book of Exodus, God directs Moses, a murderer on the run, to return to his adopted family and demand the release of his native people, the Hebrews. This does not sound like a direction for safety. Scared and doubting himself, Moses steps into a situation where he is completely unqualified. Moses inquires of the Lord, “Who do I say sent me?” In other words, Tell me exactly WHICH God sent me, for the Egyptians worshipped many gods.
Notice God’s reply, Tell them, “I AM WHO I AM” has sent you (see Exodus 3:14). Not only is God providing His personal name here, but also His name is literally the verb meaning “to be” or “existing.” God is saying that He is not defined by anything, to include time. He is not the sun god, moon god, water god, etc. He simply IS. Not was, might be, could be, but IS. God teaches Moses that He is that fixed point, outside of time, for Moses to have assurance of his place in God’s mission in a vast desert of featureless spirituality. God confirms our position in Him and where He is moving us along His path to safety (Psalm 119:105).
Jesus picks this theme up in John 8. In debating the Jews, Jesus mentions that Abraham “rejoiced that he would see my day” (vs 56). The Jews challenged Him, arguing Jesus could not have been with Abraham, living 800 years prior. But, Jesus responds, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM.” By using a Greek translation of God’s personal name, Jesus proclaims that not only is He God, but also exclaims that He is the one who is, has always been, and forever will be (see also John 1:1, Rev. 4:8; 22:5).
How Does This Apply To Me?
So, what does this mean for you and me to understand that God is eternal? Dr. D. Martin Lloyd-Jones, a 20th century British pastor, gives us some great application to the eternal attribute of God. A simplified summary is: since God is outside of time, His plans for you and me are eternal. Nothing is accidental, haphazard, or uncertain; He is never surprised. His plans are perfect and purposeful, even when we do not have full understanding. Ephesians 1 teaches that our salvation through Jesus Christ is ordained by God “… having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will….”
If our full redemption is predestined, according to God’s eternal will, then I believe His plans for the remaining portions of my life are trustworthy. God’s movements never fail and are perfectly consistent with his love, mercy, justice, and every other attribute. We can wholly trust Him for our salvation, forgiveness, and eternal life. We also can wholly trust Him for our life here and now, no matter the circumstance, for He is eternal and the “light unto our path.”