He Was There All the Time

“Yet You are He who brought me forth from the womb; You made me trust when upon my mother’s breasts.

“Upon You I was cast from birth; You have been my God from my mother’s womb.” (Psa 22:9-10)

Journal,

I’ve often wondered about the Scripture that says the Lord will shorten the days for the sake of those who belong to Him. They sure seem to be getting shorter all the time.

But what did the Lord mean? Did He mean that the days will actually become shorter, while the natural process of time remains the same? Did He mean that because of the darkness that would invade the earth, that He planned to bring His people home before it gets much worse?  

Those are just thoughts.

Anyway, here I am. This year I will be seventy-three, will have been married to my beautiful bride for fifty years, have three children, nine grand children, and three great-grandchildren. And when I look back over my life, I can’t help but wonder, ‘Where did the time go?’ 

But I can also look back and say, ‘He was there all the time.’

Oh, I’m not complaining, mind you. Fact of the matter is, that in spite of the trials and troubles, in spite of my many failures and mistakes, in spite of my sinful digressions, yet I can truly say that my walk with the Lord has been both wonderful and mysterious.

Yes, I can say truthfully say with David, that the Lord who brought me forth from my mother’s womb, has been in my life all the time. And the truth be known… 

It Really Hasn’t Been That Long

Here is the mystery part – Even as a young man, when I declared myself to be an atheist, He was there.

And when I was hitting the bars at every port, and doing all the seedy things in life that sailors are often found doing, He was there.

I can now look back over my seventy-two years of life, and see that God had a course in place for me. And from the time my mother taught me to pray, and I first became conscious of the Lord God, on to this very day, it is without question that God’s providence has overseen every moment and detail of my life.

I case you are wondering, what I am describing is not simply about me. I am telling the story of every child of God.

Don’t misunderstand the things I’ve shared. God was never the cause of my sins and failures. I did that well enough on my own. But God had His plan in place, and in every event of my life, He was always there to help me work things through.

Some give me a puzzled look when I tell them that I’ve enjoyed getting older. Oh yes, I carry in my heart the knowledge that one day life on this side of heaven will be complete. And in my heart I carry God’s validation of heaven.

I began this entry with a quotation from David, about God having been his God from his mother’s womb. It is also David who gives us the deeper insights in a believer’s sojourn in life.

He does this in Psalm 139. Perhaps it would do well to meditate on what David had to say.

“O LORD, You have searched me and known me. You know when I sit down and when I rise up; You understand my thought from afar. You scrutinize my path and my lying down, And are intimately acquainted with all my ways. Even before there is a word on my tongue, Behold, O LORD, You know it all.

“You have enclosed me behind and before, and laid Your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; It is too high, I cannot attain to it. Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence?

“If I ascend to heaven, You are there; If I make my bed in Sheol, behold, You are there. If I take the wings of the dawn, If I dwell in the remotest part of the sea, Even there Your hand will lead me, and Your right hand will lay hold of me.

“If I say, ‘Surely the darkness will overwhelm me, And the light around me will be night,’ Even the darkness is not dark to You, and the night is as bright as the day. Darkness and light are alike to You.

“For You formed my inward parts; You wove me in my mother’s womb. I will give thanks to You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; wonderful are Your works, and my soul knows it very well. My frame was not hidden from You, when I was made in secret, And skillfully wrought in the depths of the earth; Your eyes have seen my unformed substance;

“And in Your book were all written the days that were ordained for me, when as yet there was not one of them. How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God! How vast is the sum of them! If I should count them, they would outnumber the sand.

“When I awake, I am still with You. O that You would slay the wicked, O God; Depart from me, therefore, men of bloodshed. For they speak against You wickedly, and Your enemies take Your name in vain. Do I not hate those who hate You, O LORD? And do I not loathe those who rise up against You? I hate them with the utmost hatred; They have become my enemies.

“Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me and know my anxious thoughts; And see if there be any hurtful way in me, And lead me in the everlasting way. (Psa 139:1-24)[/note]

Just some things to think about.

And as is my custom, why not take time to listen to this wonderful gospel song. Surely the Lord will speak to your heart.

In Christ always,

Buddy

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