August 28, 2023

Ecclesiastes 3: 15 Whatever is has already been, and what will be has been before; and God will call the past to account. (NIV)

Time or age doesn’t necessarily make us any better. Consider that time does nothing but pass away. We sometimes say, “time will tell,” “time will heal,” or “time will bring out the potential in me.” But time will do nothing of the sort! Time will only come and go. It is only how we use time that matters.*

If Solomon had lived in America in the 1960s, he might have been a hippie. Some of his contemplations sound a bit drug-induced. But when I start thinking about time and eternity, it feels like my head is going to explode. It’s not the concept of time without end that I struggle with – it’s the no-beginning part that blows me away! 

Time is not a thing. It is a word without meaning. According to Solomon, the present and the future are all in the past in terms of eternity. The good news is: God is in charge of the whole confusing concept. Solomon doesn’t expound on his thesis, but we can find other passages in Scripture to help us apply his (ahem) timeless principle. Consider: 

· Eternity has no beginning and no end, but time has both: 

      o Beginning: I Corinthians 2: 7; II Timothy 1: 9; Titus 1: 2 

      o End: I Peter 1: 5 

· Time is not predictable: Acts 1: 7; James 4: 14 

· Time has purpose: Ephesians 1: 10 

· Today is fleeting: Hebrews 3: 13 

· Worry won’t change tomorrow, it will only spoil today:  Matthew 6: 34 

· Jesus is Lord of time: Hebrews 13: 8 

When Solomon says that today is yesterday and the future is the past, he speaks truth. It may be incomprehensible but he leaves us with an encouraging thought that puts it all into perspective: God will deal with it. After all, “Who of you by worrying can add one hour to your life?” (Matthew 6: 27)

Leave the broken, irreversible past in his hands, and step out into the invincible future with him.*