The Special of the Day… From the Orange Moon Cafe…
(a repeat from 2016)
"It Shall Be Forever"
God's doings bear eternal consequence.
"I know that, whatsoever God doeth, it shall be forever: nothing can be put to it, nor anything taken from it: and God doeth it, that men should fear before Him" (Ecclesiastes 3:14).
This "shall be forever" truth of our Lord's actions constitutes fact and reality, regardless of our awareness. Like Solomon, however, we want to be able to affirm, "I know that… it shall be forever." Do we realize that when we ask our Lord to act, our prayers constitute a request for His doing something that will bear eternal ramifications? Indeed, the supplications we offer today concern the light of eternity far more than the shadows of time (Matthew 6:10).
"We look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal" (II Corinthians 4:18).
This truth presses us to pray in accordance with a markedly different perspective than we often consider. The Bible reveals our Heavenly Father's "eternal purpose in Christ," beckoning us to view matters in terms that transcend our earthly and temporal view (Ephesians 3:11). For example, when we ask God to provide "our daily bread," we may seem to request little more than the filling of our bellies to sustain physical existence. This is true in the most limited sense of the Lord's answer. However, the supply of one morsel provided by Divine generosity will forever abide as a component of "whatsoever God doeth." This enhances our view of Him as the One who "worketh all things after the counsel of His own will" (Ephesians 3:11). Moreover, it greatly magnifies our view of prayer. The request for a crumb of bread in this present life actually involves our prayer for a Divinely provided gift that will bear eternal, infinite consequence. "It shall be forever…"
The more we learn about prayer, the more our Lord's truth causes us to consider what it means to "let your requests be made known unto God" (Philippians 4:6). Knowing that the works of God we request "are forever" purifies both our motives and our methods regarding the blessed gift of seeking our Lord's gracious - and eternal - doings on behalf of ourselves and others.
"And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know Him that is true, and we are in Him that is true, even in His Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life."
(I John 5:20)
Weekly Memory Verse
Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths.
(Proverbs 3:5-6).
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