Following the Star

Pause

Though stores have had Christmas decorations up since the day after Halloween, though the world seems more focused on good sales than good news, though exams and performances and traditions and parties make this one of the busiest times of year, our faith invites us this week to be still and know that God is near.

Listen

But do not ignore this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like one day. The Lord is not slow about his promise, as some think of slowness, but is patient with you, not wanting any to perish, but all to come to repentance.

2 Peter 3:8-9

Think

How old is the world? Scientists today estimate around 4.54 billion years (give or take a few million). The universe is even older, perhaps as old as 13.7 billion years.

When 2 Peter was written, people probably assumed Earth and the universe were much younger than current estimates. They even may have thought Earth was created first, and the universe followed. Though the writer of 2 Peter did not understand how long the universe had existed, they did understand that our lives are brief compared to the life of God. We experience mere teaspoons of time. For God, time is an ever-flowing stream.

In the busy pace of our lives, especially in this season, it helps to remember God’s kind of time, not ours. We worry about getting things done, meeting deadlines, checking items off our lists, moving on to the next activity. God sees a bigger picture and invites us to see our lives from this eternal perspective. Seen this way, we have all the time we need.

Grace Burton-Edwards

Pray

God of peace, give me your peace to let go of the past and cling to your future, to dream your dream for the world, and slow down and see my life from your perspective. Amen.

Go

Open my eyes, Lord, help me to see Your face.
Open my eyes, Lord, help me to see.

Open my ears, Lord, help me to hear Your voice.
Open my ears, Lord, help me to hear.

Open my heart, Lord, help me to love like You.
Open my heart, Lord, help me to love.

John Michael Talbot