How do we, as God’s people, react to such uncertainty? In the midst of fear and frustration, how can we exhibit to the world people who are fundamentally different? How can we draw comfort when everything around us seems to be changing? Perhaps we need to be reminded that our hope is in a God who is timeless and changeless, and then let these truths marinate in our soul until they influence how we think and feel.

As I walked down the aisle trying to find the next item on my grocery list, I saw a familiar face. He recognized me at the exact same moment and we both smiled and walked toward one another with excitement. As I approached, I instinctively started to put out my right hand to greet him with a handshake. When my hand was halfway to him, I remembered that we were in the middle of a pandemic and handshakes were a no-no. I had already committed far enough into the handshake that my retreat from the process was graceless and made the situation uncomfortable. Attempting to recover, I smiled and clumsily waved like a shy child. By that time, my brain was in such panic mode I couldn’t think of anything to say and the silence only added to the awkwardness.

A handshake used to be simple and mindless, but now I must undo years of training and instinct to keep myself from doing it. This is a just small example of how things have quickly and drastically changed this year.

We’ve all likely noticed there’s a lot of frustration in the air. You feel it in everyday conversations, and you see it on social media. Although there are many reasons for such frustration, it’s likely that some stems from a fear of uncertainty brought about by fast-paced change. None of us like having the very ground shift under our feet. Our day-to-day life, perhaps a way of life that we have had for years, has in a matter of months been completely turned upside down.

How do we, as God’s people, react to such uncertainty? In the midst of fear and frustration, how can we exhibit to the world people who are fundamentally different? How can we draw comfort when everything around us seems to be changing? Perhaps we need to be reminded that our hope is in a God who is timeless and changeless, and then let these truths marinate in our soul until they influence how we think and feel.

Not Restrained by Time

In Psalm 90, Moses reminds us that while our lives are short, God is eternal:

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

Job 36 teaches that “the number of his years is unsearchable.” Our God is not bound to time like we are. Like a circle, he has no beginning and no end. It’s hard for us to comprehend how someone can be outside of time, but God sees into all of human history. He sees what you did yesterday, what you’re are doing right now, and what you’ll be doing tomorrow all at once. I can only be in one moment at a time, but God is not limited by such restraints.

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