Coronado Bible Church

My mother-in-law posted that meme on her Facebook feed. It’s funny … but less so because it’s true. I had no clever comment to post … so I just posted, “Ugh.”

It reminded me of the question once asked by a famous philosopher, “How did it get so late so soon? It’s night before it’s afternoon. December is here before it’s June. My goodness how the time has flewn. How did it get so late so soon?” I never knew what his doctorate was in, but they always called him Dr. Seuss.

You plan and schedule and project, but then you blink, and the year is gone. Isaac Watts put it more seriously in his hymn “O God Our Help in Ages Past.” He wrote,

Time, like an ever-rolling stream, bears all its sons away; They fly forgotten, as a dream dies at the opening day.

Watts was paraphrasing Psalm 90 which speaks to the brevity of human life and counsels, “Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.” Watts’ imagery of time as a relentless and irrepressible torrent intrigues me. It is too strong to swim against, though many try to stem its tide. Others simply surrender to its inevitability, navigating through life’s stream with all the purpose of a fat camper on a floaty. They are carried swiftly toward eternity, but there is no thought for their Maker … and little thought for their fellow man.

We are powerless against the flow of time but are not powerless in the flow of time. We who know Christ traverse the river with unsinkable hope … a hope that others desperately need. Paul asked the Colossians to pray that he might have the power to proclaim the Gospel clearly … and then he challenged them to use their time to the same end. “Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.” The Good News of Jesus Christ saved you from time’s torrent and for eternity. Throw out a lifeline!

The Holy Bible: New International Version. (1984). (Col 4:5–6). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.

Twenty-nine years of marriage doesn’t just happen: it requires commitment, investment, patience and forgiveness. So, I’m not saying this anniversary isn’t an accomplishment. But I would want to emphasize that … we’ve been blessed! We didn’t do this on our own. We grew up knowing Jesus and that at the core of real love is self-sacrifice. That’s priceless! We grew surrounded by examples of marriages that were loving, loyal and that lasted. That’s huge! We’ve had positive role models along the way and positive peer pressure to make our marriage work. I should be writing Thank You notes!

One “Thank You” would be to Zerald Zimmerman (honest, that was his name). I’m sure Zerald is with the Lord now … either that or he’s 115 years-old. In the receiving line after our wedding, Zerald shook my hand and then held it in a tight grasp. He said, “Jon, your bride is pretty cute!” I said, “Thank You.” He fired back, “What you mean thank you? You had absolutely nothing to do with that.” I blinked. His eyes began to twinkle, and he whispered, “If she’s still cute in 20 years then you can take some of the credit.” It struck me in a way it never had, that I was responsible for Sue … responsible for whether she turned out better or bitter … whether she became more lovely from knowing she was loved. It was only 20 seconds Zerald … but thank you for the reality check!

Another thanks would go out to whoever taught us to speak words of appreciation. I spent the last week thinking about some of the things that have strengthened our relationship. This rose to the top; we consistently thank each other for just about everything. It’s habitual … but that doesn’t diminish its power. In my role as a pastor, I can’t count how many times a spouse has told me they don’t feel appreciated. That’s a shame, because it costs very little to say thank you.

One more … the biggest thank you of all goes to God. Here’s one was can all get in on. Our God is the picture of faithful enduring love. Psalm 106:1 Praise the Lord. Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever.

It happened again … fresh insight from a familiar passage of God’s Word. Psalm 119 was written on as an acrostic poem in praise of God’s law. In the Hebrew, each section has eight lines all beginning with the same letter. There is one section for each of the twenty-two letters in the Hebrew alphabet. With a grand total of 176 lines (or verses), Psalm 119 is not only the longest Psalm, but the longest chapter in the Bible.

The authors of my Bible reading plan decided to dole out Psalm 119 … one section a day. So this one psalm took 22 days to read. Psalm 119 has always been challenging to me. Not just because of the length, but because of the professed piety of the author. He uses the personal pronoun “I” incessantly. One proclamation after another about what he has done or plans to do in his pursuit of God and God’s Word. Here’s a sampling from just three verses …

• I have chosen the way of truth
• I have set my heart on your laws
• I hold fast to your statutes, O Lord
• I run in the path of your commands

Now, there are plenty of pleas for God’s assistance, but they seem overwhelmed by 115 “I” statements like the ones above. So part of me has found it difficult not to dismiss the author’s statements as pharisaical and arrogant. This time, maybe because my pace was slower I saw an “I” that I hadn’t noticed before. It’s the very last verse … Psalm 119:176, I have strayed like a lost sheep. Seek your servant, for I have not forgotten your commands.